Fast Twitch Mind

Ole Barn!, Movie Review

2012-01-30T05:10:00.000-08:00

Barney Fife use to be a household word when the Andy Griffith show centered in Mayberry USA, was a popular TV show. The part was played by bug eyed, naturally nervous Don Knotts and he played it well. His part was that of the Deputy Dog to the Sheriff, Andy Griffith, and he was best known for jumping to conclusions, carrying 2 bullets in his right breast pocket, and making a minor offense become a major felony. Now that I live in a Mayberry type community(population 1096) I had the experience of meeting our Mr. Barney the other night. A few years ago I heard that there had not be a traffic violation citation issued in Ransom Canyon in over 25 years, so things seemed to be very low key for the past 11 years we have lived in the Canyons. Then wouldn’t you know it, I was coming home at around 7:30 p.m. and drove in at the back side entrance minding my own business, while whistling “Hail to the Chief!” Noticing there was no traffic of any kind, so I reduced my speed and started the descent and all of sudden swirling lights came on, sirens started blaring, and the two breast pocket bullets were being loading. This patrol car came roaring out of its’ hidden position and I was being chased by the only police car within 15 miles. Yes folks, I was going 48 MPH in a 35 MPH speed zone and now local BF was after me. While I admit that I didn’t give him any resistence and pulled over very obediently, pulling out my license and insurance cards waiting for him to approach my drivers side. While it seemed like fowever for him to approach me since he was moving in a very stealth movement, I wondered if I was going to receive the two bullets in a way I wasn’t deserving of or expected them. This guy was dead serious and I knew I had a ticket for sure and no forgiveness with a warning ticket. Kind of reminded me of the movie J. Edgar Hoover.

After he took my creditials back to his car(with swirling emergency lights going at full speed) I waited again. Finally he comes back with my ticket and then asks, “can I get your phone number?” I said yes and gave it to him. Then he ask me a question that I have never been ask while receiving a traffic violation(been driving and getting tickets since I was 12, so 61 years), he ask if I would give him my social security number! I immediately said no I would not and he just kind of wilted, like a flower that had been in a vase way too long. At that point he ask me to sign the ticket(you know where it says you are not admitting to guilt, but you really are!) and I did sign it with haste and looked forward to making some space between me and the new Barney of the canyons. During my experience I noticed he had a bullet proof vest, full string of bullets in his belt not counting the two in his breast pocket, billy club, badge, and membership in the local health club. He also said, “have a nice day and it was now 7:45 p.m. and again no traffic of any kind.” I suggested that he now go to E. Lakeshore Dr. where my home is located and he could be busy all night enforcing the speed limit law. He declined my suggestion and moved back into the recessed area of the ditch, waiting for his next law breaker. Okay Barn(as Andy use to say), that is enough for tonight, go drink a soda!!

Movie Review:

“Contraband”, ***, This is a movie custom made for actor Mark Wahlberg, since he is at home with crime thrillers. Set in New Orleans, the film explores an underground world of international smuggling, filled with desperate men, corrupt officials and big payoffs--where loyalty is a rare prize and death is one bad decision away. Chis(played by Wahlberg) abandoned smuggling and went straight for his family but is forced to do one more job to help a useless brother-in-law who dumped his contraband. A predictable ending but still worth seeing. Would go at matinee pricing if possible. Rated R for violence, pervasive language and brief drug use.

EA(not for U), SH......:),

greerman

Movie Stuff, Reviews

2012-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well I just noticed in the paper this morning it is movie Oscar time coming up real quick. So, I went through the nominated movies, actors, etc., to see what I have seen and what I have missed. Turns out some of the movies that are nominated are still showing in Lubbock, so I will get out to see them. One of my favorites and I, like many others, assumed it would be a shoo in to be nominated is J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It is a true story about the establishment of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by J. Edgar Hoover. A very well done movie and great acting. But, I guess they just didn’t kiss enough butts or pass out enough cigars to get it on the nominating list. But I have seen “War Horse” and it will be reviewed below, and is a nominated movie. For those of your who do not go to movies and do not read my reviews, please bear with me. It is just something I like to do and then compare my reviews with the local critic:

“Joyful Noise”, ***, This is a feel good movie with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton playing key rolls as the leaders of the small town Georgia choir of the Divinity Church. After losing the long time choir director they are driven to win the annual contest in LA called the National Joyful Noise Competition. Lots of good music and action. Rated PG-13 for some language including a sexual reference. Go for matinee pricing!

“War Horse”, *****, This is a great movie and the local critic and I agree 100% on this movie. It is a story, directed by Steven Spielberg, about the birth of a thoroughbred horse that is asked to do many things other than be a thoroughbred. It is during the time of World War I and the overall cinematography is beyond spectacular. The story is about a young Englishman and the horse he named Joey, starting with his training of the horse since birth, the selling of the horse to the British army, war action by both horse and man, to the ultimate re-uniting of both. Great photography, great story, and great ending. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence.

EA(go see), SH.......:)

greerman

The Return of Slavery, Legally

2012-01-21T07:50:00.001-08:00

When in doubt, “google it!”, that has become my standard operating procedure and it seems to be working well when I need to get some background on any subject. For example I have this strong feeling that slavery is coming back to the USA only it is being disguised under the name of the National Football League(NFL). So, I googled “when did slavery begin in the USA?” I found that the year was 1619 when 20 slaves were brought over from Africa to Virginia. You will notice that was way before the USA was organized as a country in 1776, and then you will find that it was legally abolished in 1865 with the 13th Amendment. Also, the early slave traders were actually black themselves, so go firgure on that one. Now back to my NFL point. In the past most slave owners in the USA were all rich white people and many of the designers of the constitution were white political leaders of the new country, i.e. Thomas Jefferson owned many slaves and even sired 6 off spring with one of them. Incidently Mr. Google also told me that many white owners of slaves sired many children through the dark years of slavery. Now as I watch the NFL games on TV I notice where most of the players on the field are black, some of the coaches are black, many of the sideline helpers are black, but as the cameras gaze upwards towards the rich owners box, behind bullet proof glass ,I find that the owners are white. Now, my point is begining to surface before your very eyes. In a matter of 10 years, possibly, all of the players, coaches, field workers, trainers, etc., will all be black but when you gaze upward to the now double bullet proof glass you will still see the billionaire WHITE owners of the teams. So, that is my way of saying slavery will come back through the NFL example and while the black athletes, coaches and workers will be paid much more than the original slaves they will still be held hostage by the billionaire owners. Is this possible water cooler discussion for the office group, or just google mumbo jumbo? Then we can carry this discussion even further in total opposition to this theory by the fact Tebowmania took the NFL by storm this year, and he just happens to be a very gifted athlete and man of caucasian birth.

EA, SH,......:),

greerman

Unlimited Opportunities

2012-01-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Abby is now Annie’s Mailbox, so here is one of their letters(paraphrased) that I just couldn’t pass up for “believe it or not” real happening. This guy writes in that he is 60 years old and has this relationship with a beautiful “young” 63 year old. They couldn’t be happier!! But, one day an ex-girlfriend of his drops by to repay an old money debt to him. She also just happens to bring some beer and they chatted. He had also taken some sleep aide pills before she arrived so the beer and pills put him to sleep. Now the story gets real sordid in that he wakes up while he is having sex with his ex-girlfriend. He then gets his senses back, he says, and asks her to leave. He put off telling his current girlfriend about this little incident until he discovered he had contracted gonorrhea. He discribed it as, “so disgusting!” He said he had to tell his girl friend and now she will not have anything to do with him. Duh!! Annie’s Mailbox reply: There is some evidence that certain sleep aids can cause such “sleep-wallking” problems when the opportunities present themselves. You apparently didn’t make a conscious decision to cheat on your girfriend, and your job now is to convince her of that. This will involve flowers and apologies along with declarations of undying love and devotion. Greerman response, “yea and the Pope two steps every Friday night at the local bar!” Also, the moral to the story is never combine old girl friends, beer, and unlimited opportunities.

EA, SH, ........:)

greerman

Nepotism, Wish List, Movie Review

2012-01-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

Nepotism is defined as....”favoritism to a relative.” As I watch the National Football League hire and fire coaches I think of the nepotism definition, since it runs rampant in that organization. Once you are in that league or happen to be born into that league by being the son or daughter(mostly sons) of someone already in the league you are set for life, if you want it. Funny thing is you don’t even have to win anything to become a head coach, the main entre is kinship or friendship. Two good examples are Norv Turner and Wade Phillips. Coach Turner has been a head coach of at least 3 teams and has never won a championship of any kind, while he has advanced to the playoffs a few times he has never won the big ones. But, when he is fired from the Chargers this year he will bounce back as a head coach in the NFL or at least an offensive coordinator which pays well into the six figures or more. His tenures are as a result of friendship rather than kinship. Jason Garrett, another friendshiper was the assistant head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for $3M, before being named as the head coach. In the case of Wade Phillips, he is the son of Bum Phillips, long time coach in the NFL and head coach of the original Houston Oilers. While he was colorful, the cowboy hat he wore on the sidelines was his trade mark, but he never won the big ones. Wade then became a head coach at Buffalo and Dallas only to never win the big one. But never fear he has a good job with the Houston Texans as the defensive coordinator and will become a head coach again, mark my word. While friendship can get you there, for sure kinship will get you. Bottom line here it is very critical to be born into the right family, kind of like royalty, or have the right friends to get into and survive in the NFL. Please understand I have nothing against the people mentioned in this writing I guess I am just envious my ole daddy wasn’t a head coach or owner of one of the teams so I could have a lifetime job just because of my kinship!! Besides what am I complaining about, on our non-profit board my wife and two daughters serve on the board of directors. Shuuut up!!

Wish List: While shopping around in Barnes and Noble I ran across this book called, “The Wish List.” It actually had 6,000 wishes in it, so after looking at some of them like...”I wish..: to play the church organ, to meet a while rabbit and a Cheshire cat, learn the art of animation, have a knack for languages, etc., etc.! So, I just had to come up with some of my own wishes: I wish......the merging of traffic into Movies 16 was much safer, last night I was nearly creamed,.... that when I go up to a building of any kind and they have two doors, both will be unlocked,....if they are not and only one is unlocked that i chose that one,......that I hit all green lights on 34st in Lubbock,.....that I don’t have to pee real bad when I get stuck at a red light that must be red for many minutes,.....when I go to the pool all lanes or not taken, or when I have a lane by myself no one wants to share it with me, after all I do not play well with others, especially if they are pounding my head in the pool,....when I am riding the bike all dogs do not chase me or if they do my eyes will cast a laser to their brain and they will die on the spot,.....when I walk up to pay for something at a convenience store the register I walk up to is the one they are using, ....at the same store the person behind the counter says, “thank you!”.....I never have to go into a government office close to 5:00 p.m. so I won’t get trampled when the employees leave!,....that I would quit getting penis enlargement literature,....that my age would not be the topic of conversation in any social situation!!

Movie Review: “Young Adult”, ***, This movie was basically very depressing, but with very good acting. Charlize Theron plays(Mavis) the out of this world good looking graduate of small town high school in Minnesota and very successful ghost author, who decides to come back for a visit to re-unite with her ex-boyfriend(Patrick Wilson) of many years who is now happily married with a new baby daughter. The story evolves(while she is planning and stalking her prey) with her friendship and bonding with fellow classmate played by Patton Oswalt, a never popular nerd and victim of a high school hate crime. Bottom line is that Mavis has bad cases of alcoholism and depression. The theme of this movie is sick, but the script is good and the acting is excellent. Go with the thought that you may be a little depressed after you leave it. So, by reading my review I can save you some money!! Rated R for language and some sexual content(under statement)!

EA(don’t go to this one), SH(I know you won’t!)........;),

greerman

Movie Reviews

2012-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Movie Reviews:

“New Year’s Eve”, ***, This is movie has the big names in it, Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer for example, and turned out better than I thought it was going to be. It tells intertwining stories of individual New Yorkers as they travel through New Year’s eve.(You ever wonder why they don’t do a movie like this in Lubbock, Texas? It is always New York!!) Hilary Swank depicts a producer of the Times-Square New Year’s Eve show and Aston Kutcher plays someone who is impatient with the celebration of New Year’s eve. Rated: PG-13 for language that includes sexual references.

“Sherlock Homes: Games of Shadows”, ***, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Jared Harris. Holmes is challenged by criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty and they go at each other throughout the movie. The crime is murder and the objective is to prove that the mastermind was behind it. Coupled with the help from Dr. Watson(Law) and even after taking the time to celebrate the bacholor party for Watson, Holmes solves the crime again. There was too much gadgetry for me, seem like there was something unlocking something else that was attached to something else to the point I became dizzy. But an entertaining movie, but not above three stars. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material.

“The Sitter”, ***, Not exactly family entertainment but somewhat entertaining, and funny. The plot, basically finds a suspended college student and the world’s most irresponsible baby sitter, played by Jonah Hill, deciding to take the next door neighbor’s, three ill mannered children, on an overnight adventure in New York City. Need I say more? Go see the movie for details. Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, drug material and some violence.

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1”, ***, For those folks out there liking the vampire craze right now, this is a natural. Since I went out of desperation for a current movie and I don’t like vampire movies, I will admit that giving a three star was a stretch. But if you like this stuff you will really enjoy finding out what happens when a mortal marries a vampire. Enough said!! Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality, partial nudity and some thematic elements.

“Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”, ****, Interesting plot with the Mission Impossible team being shut down for unknown reasons. The team then must go undercover to clear their organizations name and insure survival of team members. Tom Cruise again heads up the team and there are some awesome action shots and special effects. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence.

EA, .........:),

greerman

Notable Quotes

2012-01-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

The following quotes seem to be notable:

Dolly Parton was ask if she had ever had any plastic surgery--Her reply, “I joke that if I see something sagging, dragging, or bagging, I’ll have it nipped and tucked.”

George Carlin--”A cheetah is actually slower than an armadillo. It only appears to be faster, because the armadillo moves so slowly.”

Mike Greer--” Aging is no mystery, it means you are getting older.”

George Carlin--”Live every day as if it’s your last and eventually it will be. Then you’ll be fully prepared.”

Random thoughts: “I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.” “How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?” “Bad decisions make great stories.” “There is a great need for a sarcasm font.” “I take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.” “Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.”

Mike Greer--When ask how it feels to be 73 years old. “Look at this way by observing everything around you right now and I bet you do not see anything that old, i.e. refrigerator, automobile, washing machine, computer, clothing, etc., So, I am sitting here with all major body parts at 73 years of age with lots of mileage and you ask how it feels!!” Next question?

Yogi Berra--”No body goes there anymore, It’s too crowded.” “The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.” “We have deep depth.” “When you arrive at the fork in the road, take it.” “You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’s not hungry enough to eat six.” “You wouldn’t have won if we had beaten you.” “Half the lies they tell about me are not true.”

Random: “The hen is the only thing that can lay around and produce.”

Socrates: “By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.

Groucho Marx: “I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.”

Will Rogers: “We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.”

Mike Greer--When people ask me what pace I am going to run in a race, I casually say, “start out slow and taper off.”

New Year, new quotes are being designed now, as I type.”

EA, SH, ........:),

greerman

Time Flies, Movie Reviews

2011-12-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

They, whoever that is, say that time flies when you are having fun. Well if that is the case then I must be having lots of fun. As I go back over my life I can actually remember the first time I went on a run. When I ask my mother how old I was then she said I was two. Well that is only 70 years ago and I can still remember all of the details of that run. Of course most of my motivation was not concerned with fitness but simply running away from my mother as she tried to corral me back into the house. Seems as though over the years I still maintain that air of independence and desire to aggravate a little. Now as my mind wanders over the past 70 years I have lots of great memories concerning all aspects of my life, and the good news is most of them are all good. There always has to be that little section of your mind that inventories those “bad” things or maybe those “challenges” or “adverse” things, but in the long run those are the character builders and do you more good than bad. One of my memorable times in my life was when times were really tough and I actually had the gall to ask God, through prayer, to actually make it ever tougher. Much to my surprise that is exactly what happened. So, after that little test of “does the Lord answer our prayers” I found out that he does. Now as I look on the wall at the many photos that prove I was younger at one time in my life, and that it seems like only yesterday, I can be thankful that I have that one great measurement of wealth and that is “my good health!”

Movie Reviews: Disclaimer-since the current crop of movies are so bad I am having to make myself go to the movies. So, those of you who like the reviews will understand and those that do give a hang will just giggle a little. On the other hand there is one five star showing and I will review it.

“ J Edgar”, *****, This movie is about the life story J. Edgar Hoover, the founder and director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The director of the movie is Clint Eastwood and he does a bang up job. He has the guts to address the strengths and weaknesses of the man who had the vision to create the FBI and then head it up through the tenures of 8 USA presidents. While some of his methods were of question and his private life style even more questionable, this is one well done movie. Actor Leo DiCaprio is bound for an academy award nomination for his performance as Hoover. Rated R for brief strong language.

“Tower Heist”, ***, From an academy award possibility to this is hard to swallow; however, it is not a bad three star movie. It is possible that we are going to see this because of all the animated films being shown and we want to see some flesh and blood(at least that is my feeling). Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead a talented cast in a rather juvenile and ordinary comedy caper about working stiffs. Their place of employment is a swank hotel/apartment complex owned by a zillionaire(swims in his roof top outdoor pool some 50 stories up) played by Mash’s own Hawkeye, Alan Alda. He swindles millions out of the pension plan, etc., so the workers decide to get it back come hell or high water. Predictable but fun! Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1:” *(If you don’t go for the blood sucking vampire movies), ***(If you do), While I know I swore off of these movies I just had to see some flesh instead of the animated so not only did I get flesh but I got some blood along the way. This has it all, wedding, wedding night, pregnancy, blood, birth, and conversion to the vampire clan. Bella(played by Kristen Stewart) has it all happen to her. Her vampire husband really turns it on as they do their honeymoon sexual encounters. Bottom line is she now becomes a vampire and that is the story for Part II coming up within a year. I hope and pray we start getting some more human movies out so I will not be forced to see this followup!! Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality, partial nudity and some thematic elements(everything but bad language, no F bombs at all).

EA, SH........:),

greerman

Resurrection

2011-11-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

Someone once said that if you do not believe in the resurrection then hang around a government office of any kind around quitting time and you will see it happen in real life. Now I am not talking about any particular government office, it can be city, state, national or international. The case point today centers on the county tax office where you buy your vehicle license plates. Due to circumstances beyond my control I walked into their maze of roped pathways(I was the only one in the maze so I had to walk back and forth, turn, walk back and forth, turn, then like coming out of a starting chute I walked up to the nervous lady who would record my title, charge me a fee and send me on my way. She was nervous because now it was 10 minutes before quitting time at 5:00 p.m. and she was sure it was going to push her into over time. She was nice and cordial but you could read the anxiety in her actions with her eye movement and slight tremor in her hands. Transferring a title to a vehicle is a big deal and takes some concentration so that made it even worse. Then she had to make a copy of the transaction and she literally ran to the copy machine which was only 10 feet from her. Now of all things she made a mistake and had to start all over. She did apologize for the mistake and the extra time it was taking but I was really relaxed and was not adding to her frustrations. After all I had my place in line secured(I was the only one there) and she only had me to worry about. In my idle time I noticed that they had another lady who walked back and forth behind the ladies taking care of the real work(looking like a watch dog). It appeared that her job was to make sure the work got done by 5:00 p.m. and not a minute over. Feeling a little responsible for my attendants nervous feeling I did apologize for coming in so late and she said that was okay since sometimes a person comes in at 4:59 p.m. with a hand full of titles, Ooooops, am I a glad I don’t have to witness that. At any rate I got my title transferred, paid the $30.00 fee, and made my exit out as they locked the doors behind me and I heard the clicks loud and clear. Sense of urgency in action!!

Quote of the week: Texas Tech Head Coach Tommy Tuberville stated(after two straight blow out losses): “We obviously don’t have much of a defense, sense the other team never had to punt during the game, that is the first time I have seen that happen in my many years of coaching!” Wow Coach Tub, wonder how you came upon that conclusion? For your info Coach, the Raiders will probably lose the last 3 games of the season and if they do win one it will be completely by accident. Rather than give your guys chill pills you need to give them cases of Red Bull!! It works every time!

EA, SH.........:)

greerman

Geezer Gadgets

2011-11-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

How many times have you heard me complain about the good ole days of simplicity and where have all the “on” and “off” buttons gone? Well I decided to look around me and see what is left of those good “ole” days and there was more there than I remembered. For example, the old fashioned finger nail clippers are still there, still doing a great job and very inexpensive. Even though their style hasn’t changed or the cheap metal they are made of you can keep those nails trimmed and cleaned slicker than a whistle. Then there is the fly swatter. I bought one last night at the grocery store and when I was looking for it I expected something real fancy with some kind of battery operated gismo that sucked the flies into the chamber and put some kind of killing dust on them. But, lo and behold there was this wire handle with a 6’ x 6” square plastic swatter at the end of it just like in the old days. You just swat them very quickly and painlessly and they are history. To round out my oldies but goodies story, I looked in my closet and saw the old wire coat hangers still hanging in there keeping my clothes from falling to the floor. On top of that wire coat hangers are used for other things that may require a very stiff wire to secure something that is hanging down for some reason. I use to know a guy that actually manufactured coat hangers, he seem fairly normal but did have a twitch in his speech when he talked. Said something about the many uses there were for wire coat hangers and how he used them to pick his teeth. The conclusion here is that while I don’t ever see any Henry Ford model A’s running around I do see some of that good ole day gadgets that are still serving mankind very well. Makes me feel so good!!

EA, SH.......:),

greerman

RIP

2011-11-04T05:46:00.001-07:00

While I know the local print newspapers are on their way out I still enjoy going to the end of my driveway every morning around 5:30 a.m. and picking up the daily paper. Our paper person(use to be called “paper boy) puts it right where I can see it in the dark and never under one of our vehicles or in the morning lawn watering. Since I was a paper boy back in my “boy” days I know how important it was to put it in just the right place. Then I head back into the house, grab a cup of tea and see what the news is. Of course with internet news I know this print stuff is about 24 hours old, so I take that into consideration when I read it. For the most part I like all of the sections of the paper but I guess the one that amazes me the most is the obituraries. It is amazing what you will find in this section and how much you can learn about a person from reading them. Today the oldest was 94 and the youngest was 55, most everyone died from natural causes, whatever that is. It always irritates me when they don’t say exactly what caused the death, but I have noticed if you look in the latter part of the article it will say where to send the flowers and suggested memorials, i.e. Alzheimer’s Association, Heart Association, etc., so you get a clue of what happened. A few years ago we had a friend die and he was a few years older than me, so it could have been anything but it didn’t say for sure. After checking around town I found that he was sitting in his hot tub, passed out and then drowned. Since I used to see him at the local two stepping dance halls it seems strange not to see him there and to think he met his waterloo actually in the rambling waters of a hot tub. The other day I read an obit about a guy that was actually my age and in the article it actually said, “when he finally died, it was peaceful!” I took issue with the word “finally”!! What did that mean exactly as my mind wonders if the family was sitting around him wondering if he would “finally” die before their eyes. May we all rest in peace as the people who write our obits have a little fun and tell the world how we departed!

EA, SH............:),

greerman

Friday Night Lights, Part II

2011-10-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

After looking at the Friday Night Lights part I, I noticed I left a few very important bits of information out. While I mentioned the fence watching of the game I failed to mention that in the olden days there use to be fights break out amongst the fanatic fans. After all this is the old West and this type of thing use to be settled with a six shooter. But, they became a little more grown up and just beat the crap out of each other with their bare fists. Of course the area was dry country so they had to buy their hootch from the local bootlegger, but rest assured they did. Now we just walk up and down with our hands in our pockets and swear at the refs for bad calls! The other point I failed to comment on was the price of the food at the concession stands. Now in this time of high prices where everything is over priced I was able to buy me a frito pie for $2.00 and a hot chocolate for $1.00. So for three bucks I had great tasting(the chili was home made) food and a hot chocolate to take off the chill of the night. Then I discovered I was still hungry(please understand that fence watching works up an appetite) so I got me a hot dog and bottle of water for another $3.00. Wow, except for the Cats losing the game I had a great night while being treated to a great game, tasty cheap food, and no one slugged me for yelling for the Cats(the concession stand was on the Miules side). It just doesn’t get any better than this!!

EA, SH......:),

greerman

Friday Night Lights, Movie Reviews

2011-10-30T07:09:00.001-07:00

Friday night lights in West Texas means only one thing, FOOTBALL! Yes, that friendly sport where 22 high school age young men enter the field of battle with protection body gear that makes them look like they are heading for a jousting contest before the King! The term Friday Night lights(also became a popular TV show not long ago)came from the early beginning of the small West Texas towns illuminating a football playing field made up of dirt, dust, cuckle burrs and tumble weeds that would play host to these 22 athletes banging into each other until one team wins or loses. The other ingredients for Friday Night lights is that the town basically closes down at high noon and rather than going to the OK corral the citizens go to the stadium for excitement of watching the game, the cheeleaders, and the marching band at half time. The other good thing about the “lights” is that when you approach the town from any direction the flat West Texas terrain allows you to see the stadium so you do not have to ask for directions. Of course men don’t like to ask anyway so this makes it perfect for the male chauvenist football fan.

This past Friday night I attended one of the most exciting Friday Night games I have ever seen or played in. The Muleshoe Mules were playing the Littlefield Wildcats for first place in their district and had the home field advantage. Since the Cats are my old home town and former team I went directly to their side of the field. While they had ample stands to sit in I decided to walk the side lines behind the fence to watch the game. This is an older tradition done in the old stadiums before they had fences and other barriers to keep you off the immediate sidelines. But, the devoted sideline watchers were able to make it work and it put us closer to the action and real sounds of football coming from the pads hitting each other, the grunts, groans, and commands from the coaches and game officials. This is real hard ass football only played on Friday Nights in West Texas. It is like heaven on earth to an old bunch of West Texas football players.

Now as I look at this field I don’t see dirt, dust, cuckle burrs and tumble weeds. What I see is beautiful green artificial grass, perfect field markings, very bright lights and modern comfortable stands and rest rooms with more than one urinal! Wow, this wasn’t like the field I played on 55 years ago! What a change but you know the football played on this field this night represented all of the great things that happen during an exciting game played by teams that are well coached and have talented, tough players. Never say die was the name of this game ending in a score of 49-42 with the Mules kicking the Cats for the victory. The sad part is that both teams deserved to win but that is not the way it ends, as one team must leave the field with a victory. My congrats go out to the great scoring, hitting, and tough football that was played in this game. Plus the sportsmanship was beyond reproach, I commend the coaches and players for this and it made me proud. Go Cats and Mules watch out if we meet again in the play offs!

Movie Reviews: “The Rum Diary”, ***, Johnny Depp portrays news reporter Paul Kemp, who leaves New York City for the Island of Puerto Rico and a job with the San Juan Star, a near bankrupt local newspaper. All the staff are Americans and mostly down and out, or they wouldn’t be working here to start with. It is a real seedy atmosphere and for sure a black comedy. The mystery and often times lazy subtle sub plots make it interesting but still not above three stars. There is a little sex and lots of rum. Go for the matinee price. Rated R for language, brief drug use and sexuality(you mean when they have naked sex hanging on the side of a boat?)

“Footloose”, ****, This is a remake of the 1984 version with the same name. Only the actors have changed and the story is a bit more spicey. There is a distinct presentation of why they town banned dancing, staying out past 10 p.m., drinking alcohol, in their town. They used a firey head on collision in the opening scenes that killed five high school teenagers, including the son of the local preacher. So, now we have a yankee moving into this small Georgia town and enrolls in the local high school. When he finds out he can’t dance and party like he wants to he starts out by going after the preachers daughter, writes a resolution to change the city ordiances and causes some mayhem with his loud sound systems for his old Beetle. But, this movie is very entertaining with lots of dancing and good music to go with it. It is a feel good, smiling when you leave flick, go see! Rated PG-13 for some teen drug and alcolhol use, sexual content, violence and language.

“Moneyball”, *****, This is a very good true baseball movie. Much more about the front office actions of a poor down trodden team than it is of action on the field. This movie has a great baseball backdrop that will make even those who do not care for baseball, at least for two hours, care about Billy Beane and the 2002 Oakland Athletics. Based on truth, the script allows Brad Pitt(as Beane) to rebuild an under capitalized major league baseball team into a winner by using a statistical theory by Ivy Leaguer Jonah Hill. His theory is based on unwanted players who “get on base and score runs.” There are flashbacks to Beane’s days as a player that add some spice to the story. Rated PG-13 for strong language.

EA(go see Moneyball), SH.....:),

greerman

On and Off, Kona, Movie Reviews

2011-10-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

Some times it is the little things that bug me the most, like has anyone but me noticed that the buttons to make things go “on and off” never say “on and off” any more. They always have some kind of weird looking symbol that you have to guess and try before you really know for sure. To shut down my computer there is no on or off, just a stupid looking symbol that you push out of trial and error. Then there are the new public rest room signs that use to say “men” and “women.” Wow have these changed, especially in the Mexican food restaurants. I went in one the other night and I wasn’t sure it was for men or not until I saw the urinals lined up like little soldiers, that was a dead giveaway I had the right place. There is is also the door that says “pull” and I always “push” instead. Rental cars are really becoming difficult to drive away in. Since they use different brands and models they each have different meanings on their dash and sometimes the key holds the secrets to how you start it, keep it running and prevent the emergency honking to start or stop. The past week I had one of those cars and I never did figure out what brand it was. But I know it took a few days to figure everything out and it had an emergency honking device that activated itself at will(its’ will). The real challenge on these new wheels are finding the hood release and the gas tank cover release. Makes you feel almost mentally impaired! As Andy Rooney use to say, “take these gadgets and stuff it!!”

Well the annual trip to Kona is said and done and after 18 years of flying to the Big Island I must say it becomes more like Idalou every day. Now for you readers who know where Idalou is you know where I am coming from, but if you are from far away to West Texas look on the Texas map near Lubbock and you will see it. Yes, I think I have made too many trips to paradise and it just seems, ho hum! One thing is that it never changes, still warm, still sunny, still green and lush, still romantic, still beautiful Hawaiin girls twisting their butts like no other place on the planet, still beautiful sunsets, still great to go on early morning runs, and still great layout sun! So, what the hell is my beef? Well now that I put it this way I can say it is really a very neat place to go but some of the other islands need to be visited and then my attitude will change. Okay Idalou folks don’t get all riled up you won two State Championships last year so you are real special, just not Kona special! A short race report for the annual Ironman World Championship will reveal that Craig Alexander(Aussie) won the men’s event with a record breaking 8 hrs and 3 minutes will Chrissie Wellington(Brit) won the women’s side with an 8 hrs and 55 minutes. Ironically Craig was sponsored by Honey Milk and Chrissie by Muscle Milk! How weird does that get?

Movie Reviews:

“Killer Elite”, **, This movie should have been at least a three star but I just couldn’t budge another star. Jason Statham plays a self imposed retired(they all do this for some reason) assasin who comes out of retirement to rescue his old friend, played by Robert DeNiro. DeNiro stumbles around for most of the movie looking older without a solid script or purpose and they try to cover all this up with weapons, noise and dumb narrative. He finally beats the crap out of the bad guy later in the movie just to show he still has it!! Some good action but it also gets a little boring. Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

“Ides of March”, ***, Since George Clooney wrote and directed this movie you might expect more of him(Clint Eastwood is always front and center in his own movies, afterall), however, he just pops in and out of the scenes when his obvious presence is needed. Ryan Gosling plays a young up and coming campaign press secretary who finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate’s shot at the presidency. That candidate is Gov. Mike Morris(Clooney), who wants the Democratic nomination. Great work is done by Paul Giamatti who represents the opponet to Morris and Phillip Seymour Hoffman who plays Goslings boss. Ultimately what makes this film work is Gosling’s portrayal of a loss of innocence and what it says about American politics in the process. None of that will be a surprise based on real life politicians. Rated R for pervasive language, and mild sex scenes.

EA(go see Ides, a must for you), SH..........:)

greerman

Sniffles

2011-09-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a grocery shopping day and I was limited on time, so I had to make this shopping as efficient as possible. On the way in a young bag handler was taking a basket in so I jerked it out of her hands so I wouldn’t have to go any further to get a basket. Oh!! my plan of efficiency was already working as I headed to the first area to fill my basket, the fruits and vegetables. What I hadn’t thought about is that on Texas Tech game day everyone goes to the grocery store kind of like a natural disaster type thing. So, I had to weave in and out of other baskets to get to my potato bends and my beloved radishes. This took some driving skill and coordination since these people were really taking their time. After I got deep into the vegetable section I noticed this older man(probably my age but looked at least 102) and he seemed threatened by my aggressive attitude and wanted no part of me. This was good to go for me since I wasn’t looking for new friendships, old friendships or idle chatter, I was on a mission to get in and get out with my groceries.

Many times I see my ex-wife at this store shopping and there is some idle talk but mostly I run into her basket with great speed in hopes of knocking some of the money she got from me after the big D. This never happens but is a fantasy of mine. Now to the other part of the store to get the dog cookies, salsa, eggs, paper clips, oreos, bacon, white bread and other healthy food stuff that all households have. After filling the basket now look for a check out register that is not full or with someone with enough food to last through the next century. So, my luck was running good and I found a register that was going to be clear within a few minutes. This check out girl was so efficient and fast she didn’t even ask me if I had found everything I was looking for. This is kind of a standard thing with these checkers, but I responded quickly that I found everything, swiped my card, signed it, when ask if I wanted paper or plastic I promptly advised them plastic.

Now the real cruncher, as my bag handler was walking behind me with my quickly purchased food stuffs for the next week, she ask the all important question, “how are your allergies today?” Well I did a double take on that since what they have been highly trained to ask is, “how has your day gone so far?” I answered simply, no problems I have no allergies. Oh what a lucky thing you are, she says. Then I got the full allergy report from her, and after taking a look at her I noticed a swollen, red nose and red watery eyes. So, she wasn’t faking but I did wonder why she was telling me this. My last reply to her on the subject was that maybe she was allergic to grocery stores.

Yea I know that wasn’t too sympathetic but what the hell, I was there to buy groceries and make room for someone else to do the same, not to adopt some runny nose teenager! So, just get the stuff loaded in the back and I am out of there. As I parted ways with my red nose reindeer I wished her luck with her allergy medicines and thanked her for not passing out while she delivered and unloaded my groceries. My mission was accomplished in 17 minutes. Possibly a new world record and I was a happy man!

EA, SH......:),

greerman

Losing It-Not, 340th

2011-09-18T07:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a great fall day in West Texas, just perfect for my 340th triathlon. Temperature was in the low 60’s, some overcast, slight favoring wind(this is my definition of a favoring wind-one that you go out on the course against it and then return with it). My reasoning is that you are able to ride it when you are the strongest and then speed through it coming back with it to your back. Since the run is first in this event(the Country Country Triathlon-Levelland, Texas) we had the same type of favor. After the bike we enter the swim in a pool and swim 400 yards. The only problem with this order of the disciplines is that your arms feel like lead and it is hard to get you breathing evened out. Plus, there are people all over you trying to kick, bite, scratch, push, hit, and then finally swim around you. I had a guy that wasn’t fast enough to pass me but was fast enough to stay on my heels(wish I had had some of those 8 inch heels on I wrote about a few days ago) and he bugged me the whole swim. Regardless I did beat him to the wall by about 5 seconds and it was done for another year. My efforts gave me a 2nd in my age group of four 70-74 year olds and now it was time to eat a burger and relax a little. Congrats to all my fellow triathletes and thanks for the competitive opportunities we have for friendly competition. Now let’s get ready for the half-marathon season and kick some butt!!

For sure I owe my faithful readers a few words of explanation. I just reviewed my previous blogs and found that I reviewed the movie, “The Debt” two times. Guess it falls in the category of losing it or something, but not really. Just got carried away with a good movie and did not mark it as posted on my chart. It would be losing it if I didn’t catch it or couldn’t remember posting it after I discovered I posted it. Does that make sense? Sorry about that, but it is still a three star.

EA, SH........:)

greerman

High Heels, Movie Reviews

2011-09-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Some things really bug me and for good reason, they are mostly just stupid. A good example is the new high heels that women wear now. While making my daily trip to the post office I noticed a woman not over five foot tall wearing these high heels that made her at least six foot. Not only that she had problems walking in them as they seemed to make her rock back and forth and then lean forward like she was making a three point landing on the side walk. While she was a little hefty the high heels must have made her feel off balance as she tried to maintain her balance. To go with the heels she had on a skirt that seemed six inches too short. I am guessing this was because of the heels and it threw the measurements off or something. Made me think that I was going to submit an appeal to the city council to make a new ordinance that prohibited such dress inside the city limits and a double fine if caught at the US Postal Office. That would be my do good offering to the city and would also protect me from being out done in the height situation. Since I am in the average height measurement for men of the world, I find it disgusting that women can run around raising their height by six inches and my little heals are no more than three quarters of an inch. If I could only wear their heals I would probably get a full scholarship to play basketball or I could high jump way above normal with my newly enhanced height. Now when I go dancing I also face the heel thing and that is more intimidating since I have a cowboy hat on and it hits my partner in the middle of her chin as we swing around the floor. Oh well now I have vented and ranted I will invent a man’s shoe with one helluva heel on it, make it stylish, get rich and retire to the real land of short people, Japan!! What a plan!!

Movie Reviews: “Colombiana”, ***, This one really fooled me and was a good movie. The movie opens with a star-making performance by 12 year old Amandla Stenberg as young Cataleya Restrepo, running, diving and sliding during a heart pounding pursuit that sets the tone for her character as an adult: an international assassin portrayed by Zoe Saldana. The plot is great and the assassin scenes or even better. Not only that she is killing off fat, evil, repulsive people so it makes it even better. One hit was even having sex with 3 women when our hero wacks him. Lots of active and fun to watch. Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, intense sequences of action, sexuality and brief strong language(what more could you ask for?)

“The Debt”, ***, Another good movie but a little deeper in plot. Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington star in the powerful story of Rachel Singer, a former Mossad agent who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal-The Surgeon of Birkenau-in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin. But now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth. Overwhelmed by haunting memories of her younger self and two fellow agents, the still-celebrated heroine must relive the trauma of those events and confront the debt incurred. Interesting ending and worth the money. Back and forth in time was a little confusing but makes you stay alert. Rated R for some violence and language.

“The Help”, ****, This was a four star movie for sure and will gather some awards next Oscar night, I predict. While the movie has some smiles in it it is also mindful of a nagging, uglier part of American history, or at least that of the Jim Crow South. The movie is, at its core, the collective stories of black women who, one generation after the next, devote their lives to raising the children of white families in 1962 Jackson, Miss. Exceptional performances by the fantastic ensemble cast balance light and dark throughout. Actresses Vila Davis and Octavia Spencer are the ones who command the most attention by allowing characters to reveal fear even as they personify the courage necessary to fight back-to lead, at least, their own quiet revolutions for what is right. The movie reveals the real issues of that day and since I can remember those times, I can say it was not white washed and was a sad time of our history, but is now being corrected. Rated PG-13 for thematic material.

EA, SH........:),

greerman

Colorado High, Movie Review

2011-09-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is not a travelogue even though it might take on that appearance. Last week I spent 7 days in Colorado in sponsorship support of the USA Pro Bicycle Challenge. During that 7 days I stayed in 6 different hotels, drove over 2200 miles, loaded and unloaded ice(over 2,000 lbs) and Athletes Honey Milk for the start and finish line plus the various expos in the different cities. All of this was in support of 130 professional riders that are considered the best in the world. The state of Colorado spent over $10 million in support of this event in the name of advertising tourism and put the state out there on national television on a daily basis. I came away from the event impressed with their efforts and impressed with the fact that at least every person in Colorado owns one bicycle at a minimum. At each of the stages the spectators were dressed in bicycle outfits and had their trusty two wheeler right there with them. I saw one family of five that all had a bike and the latest apparel. The next bumper sticker must say, “Either Cycle or Get the Hell Back to Texas!”

The heroes in all this extravaganza are on the average 5’7” tall and weigh around 140 lbs.,(anyone over 6’ are in the jolly green giant category and are very limited) with the leanest upper body for someone still considered living I have ever seen. Then their muscular body really starts below the waist line with highly defined sleek shaved leg muscles that almost look aerodynamic. Being aero is very important to these guys since any wind drag has a tendency to slow them down and they must push harder. Some would call these guys(no gals allowed in this group) great athletes but I question that term to describe them. The greatest cyclist of the past 15 year was our own Lance Armstrong, now past his prime, and he said that he was really not an athlete but simply a technician with a strong VO2 max. Regardless who wins the argument here these guys have a few things that make them athletes, for example they have defined muscles, breath hard, sweat, complain, boast, get mad, say stupid things, wear a helmet in competition, have an air of arrogance, wear a uniform of sorts, and love their field of armor, notably the bicycle.

See you on the roads, I am going for a bike ride, right now!!

Movie Review: “The Debt”, ***, This is a very deep movie about a former Mossad agent, Rachel Singer played by Helen Mirren, who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal-The Surgeon of Birkenau-in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death in the streets of East Berlin. But now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced and Rachel feels she must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth. Since Rachel has become famous for her role in this high profile case she had also become overwhelmed by the haunting memories of her younger self and two fellow agents. Quite a deep story and one of those films that skip around in the time so you wonder what year it really is. Even though I only give it three stars it might show up on the possible awards list later in the year. Rated R for some violence and language.

EA, SH.......:)

greerman

Dairy Farmers, My New Heroes

2011-08-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

When I was 10 years old my grandmother taught me how to milk a cow. That day stands out in my mind very well and I remember her putting on her bonnet that farm women wore then, and commenced to show me how to milk. She had two cows so I had one and she had one. She showed me how to sit on the stool, place the bucket and then how to get that milk out. Little did I know that over 60 years later I would be associated with the dairy farming industry and how interesting it really is. The dairy farmer is truly remarkable since they must provide so much synergism in the process of getting their cows to produce good quality milk. They really partner with these amazing animals. The good news for me is that I am able to learn from the real professionals of this industry and every time I visit a Select Milk dairy I learn something new.

This past week I was given another tour of the Legacy Farms just North of Ransom Canyon, owned by the Bouma Family. These folks represent a long history in the dairy business dating back to the early 1900’s in the Netherlands, so they really know their stuff. The tour was conducted by Brad the Elder, and son Brandon and what I saw was extreme professionalism and pride in their dairy operation. It wasn’t just about milking the cows and selling the milk, but it included extreme care in the way the “bovines” were cared for, with tender loving care. As Brandon said, “when you check into a hotel you want clean sheets, clean towels, and a clean room each night you are there. Well that is the way we treat our cows, we take care of them and then they take care of us by producing quality milk.” So, their pins are kept immaculate and their diet is watched over with a careful eye. Reminded me of a Marriott! Since the cows are milked three times a day they must eat a lot, rest a lot, pee a lot, and poop a lot. Then they yield that healthy milk with tons of calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D. What a package of healthy ingredients.

As we made that one last swing through the pin area where 13,000 head of prime Holstein cows were doing their thing, I swear it looked like they were winking at Brad and Brandon as we drove by. These guys were very happy and you could feel that they enjoyed their work. Thanks Legacy Farms for producing many heathy milk products, Athletes Honey Milk being one of them, for the world to enjoy!

EA, SH, ......:),

greerman

Bugs?

2011-08-09T10:43:00.001-07:00

With the drought and heat still going on in our fair state, I have noticed something very different. When I ride the Hog there are no bugs on my windshield, no bugs in my teeth, and just plain no bugs to speak of. Usually this time of year while going 80 MPH down the highway my wind shield picks up plenty of those little creatures as they smash into a terrible mess of funny colors and gooie remains. Fact is after a ride it usually takes me two hours to clean up the carnage, but now there is nothing to clean up. I also wonder about the laws of nature and how this affects it. Since snakes eat the insects I wonder what they are eating to stay alive, and how this affects all the other laws of nature. In our cotton fields the insects are generally put down with the insecticides but now there is no need for that, of course with no rain there is very little cotton so there is nothing for the insects to destroy. Wow, this law of nature thing is really getting disturbing. I also have noticed that the buzzards that congregated in the top of our trees are no longer there. Wonder how the law of nature has affected them since they have to eat road kill to stay alive and there just not much road kill anymore since the animals are too hot from the heat and have no water to drink, so they stay off of the road ways. The only exception to that is the prairie dogs who seem to think they can take on a 5,000 lb. vehicle head on and come out the winner. The drouth is supposed to be here until 2013, it will be interesting to see how we all survive and how nature will react!!

EA, SH....:)

greerman

Football Again, Movie Reviews

2011-08-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Okay world you can breath easy now, Obama/Congress have signed off on the debt ceiling, the drouth in Texas may be broken by 2013 and the National Football League is back in action. Seems as though the players and owners reached a compromise on the $9 billion that was floating around out there in cyberspace and while they didn’t split it down the middle both sides seemed happy. My feeling is that it should not have been an issue, after all the teams are owned by zillionaires and the players work for them, so why were they entitled to any of it other than their regular wages. But, these are modern times and the inmates do run the prison some times and these pampered over paid athletes called football players are now into an agreement that is for 10 years.

Now that football players in the NFL, Colleges, and some high schools, don’t play on dirt or real grass anymore they seem to think they are above getting dirty and should be paid more. They now spend more time looking squeaky clean than they do playing the game. I am sure part of the new agreement called for reimbursement for hair styling, custom clothing, pedicures, and nail trimming so they will look good at all times. Use to football was played on grass, real dirt, no matter the weather. Now they are even considering eliminating two a day work outs, which consisted of two miserable weeks of a work out in the morning and one in the afternoon. It was like purgatory before advancing to the new season. Then there is the sissy stuff they now drink for hydration whereas in the olden days hydration was a forbidden practice. They only reason the players didn’t die more often was because the coaches forced 10 salt tablets down you throat each day. Drinking any kind of liquid during a work out made you eligible for all kinds of disciplinary action. Ahh for the good ole days!!

Movie Reviews: “Cowboys and Aliens”, ***, The pre-marketing hype on this movie exceeded the actual showing. While it was stacked with excellent actors, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde the movie just did not equal the potential of these stars. Believing that there was aliens during the 1870’s is not really hard, but the fact that they came to this world to mine for gold and take back to their planet is a little far fetched. The real cruncher here was they went to New Mexico to mine the gold and we would imagine that with their superior intelligence they would have either gone to California or Colorado, since that is where all the gold is. There was lots of action but it didn’t equal “OK Corral.” Craig does a nice job and Ford is okay even though they never let him be real mean as his character was supposed to be. Now I know I am being a little picky since this is fiction, sci-fi, but It just fell short on all sides in my opinion and merits a discount ticket and some really fresh popcorn. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” ***, Well I guess we have always wondered where these educated apes came from that took Charlton Heston captive in the very first Planet of the Apes back in 1968. Now we know that the story is a reality-based cautionary tale, a blend of science fiction and science fact in which ambitious father-and-son scientists( played by John Lithgrow and James Franco) experiment on apes while seeking a cure for Alzheimer’s. Set in San Francisco(why is it that these cities are always the setting, how about Lubbock or Amarillo some time?) their experiments develop an intelligence in apes that, eventually serves as an onset of a war for supremacy. So, now be ready for the sequel since I am sure it is on the cutting room floor right now. Rated PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence.

EA, SH......:)

greerman

Mission Accomplished, Movie Review

2011-08-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

This will be the last mention of the “crash” and subsequent 100% recovery and how good it really feels. When I was laying in the emergency room(for 7.5 hours), twiddling my thumbs, my thought processes shifted over to how I could have avoided this painful ordeal and what I was going to do to speed up recovery. So, as soon as I could I pulled out my schedule of races and decided that I would do a sprint triathlon immediately after the 8 week recovery had set with the sun in the West. The Midland Tall City was exactly 9 weeks after the “crash” so I had a week to spare. I knew this race well and the venue was perfect for me to go after. A really flat(pun intended) pool swim, a really flat bicycle ride(possibly a SW wind, with some mesquite bushes blowing across the rode and some infamous Permian Basin road kill) and then a 3 loop run course, flat as a pancake. The temperature for the day hit over 98 but was not bad for the early morning hour start time. Bottom line, I got two victories. One, my one worthy opponent in my age group had back problems so dropped out, two, my protein super charged body moved around the course 2 minutes faster than last year. There was no pain other than that feel good pain of doing endurance events and then feeling the finish line tape. It was great to be back and then the next day was spent in lovely Odessa, TX(the oil field workers own city) and completed another sprint tri for the second in two days. What a great weekend and it feels good, to feel good!!

Movie Review: “Crazy, Stupid, Love”, ***A 40-something, straight-laced Cal(played by Steve Carrell) is living the dream; good job, nice house, great kids and married to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife Emily(Julianne Moore) has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his perfect life unravels. The story really gets good as we see Cal develop into a ladies man and his teacher along the way will turn out to be his future son-in-law, played by Ryan Gosling. There are some other interesting stories and scenes with his 13 year old son, and their 17 year old baby sitter. Well done movie but not an awards type movie. Enjoyable but has some good thought provokers in it. Rated PB-13 for corse humor, sexual content and language.

EA, SH.......:),

greerman

MLM Success at Last, Movie Reviews

2011-07-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

Multi Level Marketing or MLM as it is called, has never been one of my bags. After experimenting with probably a 100 of them over the years I have never made a thin dime out of them. Whether they be the latest vitamin, candy, energy booster, weight loss gimmick, erectile dysfunction solution, hair restorer, or like the latest one I was recently suckered into which I never figured out what the product was, they just don’t work for me. The whole idea in MLM is to multiply yourself with other people and while they make money you make money.

But I have found one area of life that has a scent of MLM that I have been very successful in, multiplying people. This past week my son and his family were making their pass through Texas in route to their new duty station for the USA State Department in the beautiful land of Switzerland. Since this is not a common thing that just happens every other weekend the siblings decided we all needed to get together for dinner. So, as I sat on the end of the table(this is reserved for the oldest and the one who is picking up the tab) and gazed down the table I saw MLM in flesh and blood. There were my children, who had their children, then their one child had their child. So, we had children, grand children, and one great grand child. The total at the table was 13 and not all of them were there. So, bottom line here is: I am one successful MLM guy and it was fun to see them all enjoying themselves!! Makes me proud!!

Movie Review: “Friends and Benefits”, **, A young New York City female headhunter(played by Mila Dunis) convinces a potential recruit(Justin Timberlake) to leave his job in San Francisco and join the company she is recruiting for. After settling in they both decide they are lonely for the opposite sex and make a deal to have sex without commitment, feelings, etc. While the sex scenes are hot and soft porn, the arrangement between the two goes South. Very predictable ending and really not a very good movie. I would recommend matinee only pricing and make sure the popcorn is fresh. Rated R for sexual content(soft porn) and language.

“Zookeeper”, **, Kevin James plays the ultimate zookeeper, but also wants the ultimate woman. He finds that women are turned off by his profession even though he loves it. He does have a blonde hottie who tries to change him to something he is not, and of course there is the other woman who wants him like his is. Then the animals start talking to him and want him to stay with them. Some funny scenes but a very predictable ending. The closing credits are the best part of the movie, so if you happen to venture into this movie for matinee prices, please stay for this. Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor, and language.

EA, SH.......:)

greerman

Eight Weeks is UP, Movie Reviews

2011-07-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today marks the magical 8th week since the infamous bicycle crash that I was involved in on FM 40, Lubbock, County. The 8th week is significant since I can officially start running now and get this body back in competition shape. Since I am entered in a sprint triathlon in Midland, TX on July 30 and another one the next day in Odessa, I must get the gears to grinding. For the past 3 weeks I have been able to crank the legs into good cycling shape and the swimming is also coming around. Now to pound the pavement a little and see what happens. I did attempt a little fast walk stuff last week and the legs were more like grape jelly, but I know they will come around after a few good runs. My coach says to take it easy and ease into it and that is what I will do.

Movie Reviews: As you will see the movie reviews involved some real bad movies, but it is my duty to report the good, bad and ugly and that is what I have done here. While I never pay much attention to our local critic I do compare my ratings with his just for fun. We do agree at times but for the most part we do not. My eyeballs see something a little different than his, but that is a good thing since the two different view points assist the potential viewer in making their decision on which movie to go see.

“Bad Teacher”, *, This is really a bad movie and wastes the acting talents of Cameron Diaz. Not much of a story here and no saving grace what so ever. The title of the movie describes it very well, go see at your own risk. Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use.

“Horrible Bosses”, *, This is really a horrible movie and like Bad Teacher really wastes some good acting talent(Jason Bateman for one). A boring story and presentation of three guys who hate their bosses, so they decide to kill them. They go out and hire a hit man, etc., and it just goes down hill from there. Rated R for crude and sexual content pervasive language and some drug material.

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, ****, While I do not like the transformer movies or any sci-fi actually, I must give this a four star(but only for those that like transformer movies) rating because it is well done and has lots of action. I still don’t get how a mechanical robot machine bleeds and has emotions. What I have found is that the followers of these movies are just a devout as the Harry Potter, and Superman followers. Now you know how I feel!! Rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuedo(wow, after all that guess you better run out and buy a ticket).

“Larry Crowne”, ****, This is one that I really disagreed with the local guy on. This is a very good movie that has that feel bad, feel good feeling and with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. They do have some chemistry and act well together. Tom plays the part of devoted employee of U-Mart who finds himself fired because he doesn’t have a college degree. While he is totally smashed by the firing he also makes new friends and enrolls in the local community college. Julia Roberts plays the part of a professor in the college and is going through some bad times in her marriage and life in general. What a perfect setting for these two characters to meet and carry the story forward to feel good status. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual content.

EA, SH........:),

greerman

Inquiring Minds, Movie Review

2011-07-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Inquiring minds want to know whether or not I rode the motorcycle during the 22nd running of the Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3. The intrigue over this question was raised to unreasonable heights(and to think I didn’t think anyone really cared) when my favorite writer at the Lubbock AJ made a point about it in one of the lead in articles about the event. It seems as though some people felt I should not ride the Hog because of the bicycle crash injuries, especially to my left hip, etc. Turns out riding the Hog during the event is one of my superstitious habits that I do every year. Fact is the athletes have become accustomed to me being out on the course with the loud monster and expect nothing less. So, a couple of days before the event I took a test ride and everything worked great. End of story, I rode the big black Hog during the event and was able to help some of the athletes who had some flat problems and also one who had a heat problem(imagine that at 112 degrees). Not only did I get to ride during the event I was able to get a different look at all that goes on, besides I can smell the road kill and feel the wind(20-25 mph) running through my helmet. No better seat in the house during the race. Now getting ready for number 23(my lucky number)!!

Movie Review: “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”, ***, For those who do not like Jim Carrey just save your money; however, if you thank penguins are cute you can compromise and go see a funny, non-offensive movie. There is also a good story with it since he is a very successful Manhattan real estate person, who inherits six penguins from his father. He is also divorced with two children, so the penguins offer an avenue to score points with them. Cute and silly, so beware you may laugh a little. Rated PG for mild rude humor and some language.

EA, SH.......:)

greerman

Psychic Income

2011-07-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

It seems like a century has passed since I last posted and the fact is lots of stuff has happened and passed since my last post on June 18. The 22nd running of the infamous Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 has come and gone. All of the planning, work and stress of race directing a triathlon has now passed and just the memories and empty t-shirt boxes are staring us in the face. Race directing has all of the psychic income anyone could ask for but it also feels like the local hotel must feel when the crowd checks in then checks out. All of the athletes come to town and tell you how much they love you and the event, then race the race and tell you again how much they love you, then of all things they go back home to the 42 states and 13 countries they came from. After all they do have a life and can’t hang around Lubbock past the triathlon, so they spread their cheer and compliments to you and then get the hell out dodge. The stories that they will tell when they get back home will be about the intense heat of 112 degrees for the 2011 Buffalo Springs Ironman 70.3 and how the volunteers of the event actually worked hard to make them comfortable and safe. Triathlon is a great sport and I love it, and now I will spend the rest of the season taking my recovered body to my next triathlon on July 30, in Midland, Texas. After the race I will tell the race director how much I love him/her, then collect my hardware, pack up, then get back to Ransom Canyon in the Llano Estacado! It just doesn’t get any better than that!

EA, SH.......:)!!

greerman

Transition

2011-06-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

Love this transition stuff during recovery. The transition to the recovery mode was challenging but had to be done, no choice just too much pain. So, now things are coming around and after doing 3 painful swims during the past two weeks, a 1,000 that took two days to get over, a 500 that felt decent but started hurting at 480, then another 500 at minimal pain, today I actually did 1,000 with no pain. Funny thing how the mind works, during the latter part of it I was going through the transition to the bike in my mind. Transitioning is great for recovery!! It also has great application in the rest of our lives!!

EA, SH,......:)

greerman

Frog Watching

2011-06-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hall of Fame college basketball coach Bobby Knight once said that he would rather watch two frogs making love than watch a National Basketball Association pro game. So, the other night I took his advice but rather than the frogs I did watch the NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. Both teams are loaded with billionaire owners and millionaire players. While the only real interest in it was to see if the Mavericks could actually win a NBA Championship, the other curious aspect was whether these millionaire players were worth watching. The owners have spent so many millions to build these teams it is amazing that every ball doesn’t go through the nets without any effort. Turns out these guys sweat, miss shots, get fouled, foul, complain, and just look like normal human beings(except for the tatts). Bottom line, Dallas won and can win it all Sunday night since they hold the edger 3-2. Since there are no frogs on the other channels I may watch this game.

EA, SH.......:)

greerman

First Hit, Movie Review

2011-06-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

In football you know when your injury is healed after you receive that first hit after returning to the field. In triathlon it is a little different since it is not supposed to be a contact sport. So, when returning to the pool the other day after16 days of recovery from the “crash” I discovered a couple of interesting observations. The broken rib is still a pain and made it hard to pull with the left arm, my strength and stamina was definitely affected, and since I am a barge in the water my speed for 1,000 was closer to Christmas. But the encouraging thing is I was there and will continue to be there until I am ready to be on the start line in W. country, the Midland Tri July 30. Goals are made to prod us into successes and achievements, it will be done. The transition from healthy to injured then back to healthy will be some kind of fun!!

Movie Review: “X-Men: First Class”, **, These type of movies are really well done but I just get bored with them. I do like the idea of possibly being a mutant some day, since they can do neat things. This is the story before mutants became main stream, so it involves some power struggles and disagreements along the way. But also shows some of their diverse powers and how cool it would be to be a mutant. Go see if you like sci-fi. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language.

EA, SH.......:)

greerman

Medical Advice, Movie Review

2011-06-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

Funny when you got something wrong with you everyone else has the same condition and then they tell you how to fix it. As I walked around the transition area of the Milkman Triathlon last weekend this happened to me. With my trusty swollen hip pouch(looking like the hunch back of Notre Dame, kinda) on the left hip, blue bruised quad, knee and foot it drew medical advice attention. It is amazing how many people had the same type of crash with the same type of results. So, I was advised the many ways to fix this from draining the fluid, to taking supplements, to massage, to vascular specialty treatment, to getting chants from the local witch doctor, and on and on. Maybe I will seek them all out since I am tired of this condition. Today is the two week anniversary and it is looking better....my goal to do my next triathlon July 30 is looking good!!

Movie Review: (Well life must go on, even though my butt goes to sleep when sitting too long), “The Hangover, Part II”, ****, After watching the original hangover and being amazed as to how entertaining it was I figured the sequel would bomb out. But, to my surprise it was just as entertaining. The way they do the movie is so orchestrated to perfection, it just keeps your attention to the details. While they used the same cast, Bradley Cooper is the anchor, and Zach Galifianakis offers the obscene flavor. The setting is the wedding for Stu(Ed Helms), the dentist of the group, in exotic Thailand. That is enough information, go see for yourself. While it is not an epic it has four stars for entertainment. Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use and brief violent images.(What more could you ask for?)

EA, SH........:)

greerman

Frequently Ask Questions(FAQ) After The Crash

2011-06-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

The other day I got a note from a friend of mine asking how I was doing after the crash. My reply: Honestly it only hurts when i eat, sleep, stand, sit, slump, bathroom tricks, motorcycle tricks, bicycle tricks, sex(non at this time, so hurts more), see my blue balls in the mirror, shower, soak, drive, drink, swallow, itch, scratch, laugh, frown, barf, sneeze, spit, blow nose, clear throat, type, giggle, not get pissed off, get pissed off, see my friends, or even see my enemies. This is a great lesson in pain tolerance without pain pills, so I am really growing out of this adventure. The good news is that my friend was understanding and I feel better every day. My full recovery is getting closer!!

EA, SH........:)

Pitty Party, Not, Movie Review

2011-06-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

If you ride a bicycle long enough two things will happen, you crash for sure and then some time later you crash again. My eighth crash over a 28 year period was a little over a week ago and it turned out to be my worst. Aside from a slightly fractured pelvic, heavily bruised hip, huge bump on top of my head(with helmet), road rash, broken rib, stitches in cut on arm, bruising from hip to bottom of my left foot, everything is fine.

After a night in the hospital I was assured that I would be good as new in 8 weeks. Little did they know I have plans for 6 weeks so my body is working on it now. The following blogs will cover my experiences with this experience, and how it fits into the idea of transitioning life to accommodate current events. This is not going to be a pitty party but the realizations of the challenges that face us in life and what we can go about them. Let’s have some fun with this........I already have!!!!!!!

Movie Review: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, *, Good thing they had a hit in the first one, since they have really gone boring. Depp and Rush are good but wasted. Saw it in 3D and it didn’t help a bit, still boring and cost me more to see it. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence, some frightening images, sensuality and innuendo.

Baloney Man, Movie Review, Book Review

2011-05-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what constitutes news now a days. Okay I go with the removal of bin Laden from the world scene as real news; however, where the National Football League football players work out is not news. The only reason it is mentioned in the newspapers is because they are going through a lock out from their prospective team facilities because there is an disagreement between the players and owners about a tidy sum of $9 Billion that the owners would like to have.

Of course it is more complicated than that, but that is the issue. The ole saying that the inmates can’t run the prison applies here. While the owners happen to be a bunch of real rich guys(no girls in this exclusive club) the league belongs to them, not the players.

The players are hired hands and hired hands never own the joint. The other day there was an article in the paper about Tony “Baloney” Roma leading volunteer work outs with fellow team members. All I got to say it is about time the Baloney man took charge. He is paid multi-millions to play a game as the leader of the team. Maybe this lock out will teach him something about leadership and winning the big one, since he hasn’t done that yet. In the mean time the billionaires will win and the season will begin on time. The inmates better be working out!

Movie Review: “Thor”, ***, This is a good sci-fi movie and Chris Hemsworth does a great job as the very sure of himself new god of thunder. This is kind of a family story, of sorts, about a planet far away from Earth. Of all things he is banished by his father for being too head strong and wanting to start a war with their arch rivals, the evil Frost Giants. Thor is really doomed if he doesn’t retrieve his magic hammer and rule out the bad guys. Be sure and watch the whole thing including the credits, many visions for the future of Captain America and the Avengers.

Book Review: “Fail Up”, Tavis Smiley, ****, About half through this very good book. Some great points are made about success motivated by failure. While I have always tried to avoid the “F” word of failure this books gives some really good positive insights to the approach of succeeding after failing. While I haven’t completed it yet I see where it is going and would recommend it for sure.

EA, SH.......:),

greerman

Memory Loss, Movie Review

2011-05-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I came to the reality that memory loss is not associated with age. As I walked out of the aquatic center and couldn’t remember where I had parked my car I was sure I was loosing it. Then I got to thinking that memory loss starts very early in life and in fact is not associated with age. For example, I have no memory of the day I was born. But I know it happened for a number of reasons, i.e. I am here today, my birth certificate says I was born, and every year I celebrate my birthday on December 16th. But, back to the location of my Explorer some where in the parking lot. As I wondered through the maze of SUV’s I became totally aware that there is short term(where the hell is my Explorer) and long term loss, like someone reminds you of something you did when you were a teenager and you have no memory of that. Good news, memory loss is not fatal.

Movie Review: “Water for Elephants”, ****, This is a good movie even though the violence in it is a tad bit disturbing. This is a romantic drama with the circus big top as the focal point, the love between two people, and one big elephant(who later becomes a big hero). Robert Pattinson(of vampire fame) and Reese Witherspoon, a star performer in the circus, fall for each other. Christopher Waltz plays the cruel, disturbing owner of the circus and the husband of Reese Witherspoon. Lots of drama before, during and after. But the story is told by Hal Holbrook as we view it. Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content(much more violence than sex).

(How is this Brother Loomis?)

EA, SH........:)!

greerman

TV and Royalty

2011-05-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

It is amazing to me the way people spend their time these days, especially so-called leisure time. Since I remember the days before every household had a flat screen TV or even further back before any form of TV, it blows my mind on what is being watched on TV today. I do remember when my parents bought our first TV, of course black and white, and only one channel. Now we have flat screens, full color and 125 channels all being bounced off of a satellite high in the atmosphere. While I think all of this technology is neat as can be, it is a shame on what is being shown. While I love a good movie I can’t figure out why the reality shows are so popular and stupid at the same time. From the Biggest Loser to The Apprentice to that Dance thing, for the life of me why is this entertaining? I’d rather watch two bloated frogs wrestle in the local pond than watch that stuff.

Then to add insult to injury the world is encouraged to watch the royal wedding that happened this past week. There were even “watch the royal wedding parties, and people got up early in the morning just to watch this event.” One thing I have enjoyed about this event is that I learned that Queen Elizabeth has reigned through 12 of our American Presidents and has met in person with all but one. For some reason, not given, she never met Lyndon B. Johnson which I am sure he went to the grave wondering what happened on that. She was handed the crown some 59 years ago and must hold on for another four and half years to break the record of being the royal head cheese. While I have never figured out all this royalty thing I will say that she seems to be a very nice person and has represented royalty very well. She doesn’t generally give interviews so I really don’t know how she feels about my opinion.

Possibly the Donald will decide to become the next King, fire the Queen and move to England. He has really been attacking the politicians, mainly President Obama, lately and even came up with a few F bombs at a recent speaking engagement. He has gathered some strong support over the past few weeks to run for President; after all the world has been asking for the actual birth certificate and only the Donald was able to pry it out of the Presidents archives, while all others failed. However, even he cannot survive the using of the F bombs during a public speech. Someone needs to tame him down a bit so he has a chance to run. What he is saying makes great sense but he better tame his tongue, ask George Romney on that one!

EA, SH.........:)!!

greerman

Movie Review

2011-04-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

Movie Review: "The Conspirator", *****, Yes folks this is a five star movie. "A military trial of civilians is an atrocity!" bellows one senator. Directed by Robert Redford, a remarkable cast breathes life into the compelling story of the trial meant to head the country following the assassinatin of President Abrham Lincoln. Most of us know about John Wilkes Booth the actual assassin, but the other part of the story is the trial of Mary Surratt played by Robin Wright, who owned the boarding house where Booth stayed and conspired to murder three American leaders. James McAvoy does a great job in playing the defense lawyer, Frederick Aiken, for Ms. Surratt. Since he was a war hero and officer in the Union Army the emotions of defending this accused conspirator was limitless. Audiences may be as repulsed as Aiken to see the Constitutin set aside to quicken the country's healing process. Robert Redford is a great director and if this film is not nominated in many ways, plus the actors I will surely be surprised. Rated PG-13 for some violent content.

EA(a go see for you), SH(you would enjoy to).....:)

greerman

A Dogs Life, Future Movie Reviews, Short Story Review

2011-04-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

It has always been my understanding that for every one year of human years the same for a dog is equivalent to seven years. Being an inquisitive type I went and ask Google, “dog years to human years ratio is what?” Turns out that rule of thumb is seven; however, they have a chart that you can enter your dogs’ breed, actual age, and it can tell you exactly what their current age is. Since Buffman is the old dog around this household(except for me) I entered his breed and 10 years actual, bingo he is 63 years old, while Squeaky is 32.

Then I got to thinking, why do these critters age up so fast since they really have a great deal, i.e. in a 24 hour period they must sleep at least half of it or at least it seems like to me that every time I walk in the room they are sleeping. Then when they are awake they are either eating, drinking, pooping, peeing, licking, scratching, fighting/playing with each other, sniffing each other, or barking. Now the barking thing is probably what ages them since they do it in the middle of the night and keep everyone awake. Some times I think this ratio should be changed to humans, since there are times I feel 504 years old(7 x 72).

One thing for sure here is that these two Boston’s better get it together since the triathlon that was named in their honor is coming up for May 15, 2011 and they are expected to be there. They usually have a new t-shirt on for the current year, walk around the transition area sniffing of everything and having their picture made with the athletes. Then they are given good cookies to eat and then amble off to take a nap under the shade tree. One year Buffman hiked his leg up on the race official while he was giving the pre-race briefing. Wow, for a dog’s life!! See you at the races!

greerman

Movie Reviews: No movies have been viewed since the last posting; however, here are future reviews to look forward to: “The Conspirator” , “Insidious” , “Win Win” , “Water For Elephants”, “Soul Surfer”, “Source Code”. Got lots to see!

Short Story Review: In the April, 2011 Sports Illustrated there is an excellent article about Dick and Rick Hoyt. Over the past 33 years Dick Hoyt has pushed, pulled and carried his disabled son, Rick, through more than 1,000 road races and triathlons(including the Ironman) and 28 Boston Marathons. But as time bears down on them, how much longer can they keep it up? The father is 70 and the son is 40, and they are entering the twilight of this unbelievable journey. Since I know these two gentlemen it makes the story even more enjoyable, but since it is such an emotional human interest story I know most will enjoy it.

Lowe's Success, Movie Reviews

2011-04-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

If you didn’t know how old you are, how old would you think you are? Good question and while I know must everyone knows their birth dates I think this question can be used to analyze why aging becomes such a big deal. It seems that aging or growing old is the big topic of many conversations. Just this past week I was invited to speak at the Lowe’s Wellness Center in my old home town of Littlefield, Texas, about my 11 points of ageless living. Lowe’s happens to be owned by my long time friend Roger Lowe, Sr. and he has done an outstanding job of building this company and employing some really good people. Even though the company has grown into a multi-million dollar company he has kept his corporate office in Littlefield and continues to grow with increased sales and expansion. Not only that he does it with a great philosophy of honesty in his dealings and state of the art business principles. It is so good to see this type of business and to think Roger and I have been friends since the fifth grade and even played football together through Jr. High, High School and College. We were both raised by business parents and received great training from them with entrepreneurial spirit taught to us from the very beginning. They always taught us to be ourselves and never waive from that. I can say regardless of the financial success Roger has earned he has never waivered in being his true self. What a guy and what an organization he and his employees have built. Now, the answer to my question! If I didn’t know my birth day I would guess my age at 28. Now you got it, thanks for asking!!

Movie Reviews: “Arthur”, ***, A remake of the original 1981 version starring Dudley Moore. This story is built around billionaire Arthur Bach, a young man born into wealth and never amounting to anything. He is raised by a nanny and still being taken care of by her as a young adult. While his father died when he was a child his mother was a heartless business person. She finally got tired of his useless nature and forced him into agreeing to marry a woman who would show him the ropes of how to operate a business and straighten him out. Fate has different ideas and he really falls in love. No more now, you must go see the end for yourself. Entertaining and well done. Rated PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language and some drug references.

“Hanna”, ***, A very good action movie with another new twist. Academy

Award nominee Saoirse Ronan has the title role, playing a dangerous child raised by her ex-CIA father in the wilds of Finland to operate as a skilled assassin. To liven things up a bit she is sent into the world eluding experienced agents across Europe, on a specific mission(you have to go see it to find out what the mission is). Eric Bana is the ex CIA agent father and Cate Blanchett co-stars as a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own. Very intriguing, go see. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language.

EA, SH.......:)

greerman

Bionic Man, Movie Reviews

2011-04-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought the bionic man was a former television program starring Lee Majors I competed in a triathlon this past weekend and was fooled, there are many of them out there. Not only was he bionic but he sliced me up like slabs of bacon on the run, swim and total time and made off with the first place medal in our age group. He gave me the bike portion but that wasn’t enough to pull it off. Right before the race started he came up and showed me where he had the titanium rod put in his knee and explained he was better than ever. That was sad news to me since he was real good with the original equipment he was blessed with as a new born baby, and left me in the dust more than I could remember. So, I look at his healed up 12 inch scar that ran right down the middle of his knee and wondered, can that piece of titanium from outer space really do the trick and enable him to speed ahead of me? About an hour and a half later I got the answer and he really showed his stuff. Now the questions is, am I going out there and get the new joints put in so I can be faster, or will I stick with original equipment. Well the answer is easy, my original equipment is working quite well and I know it now has over 65,000 miles of running on it and is still going strong. Also, the real key to successful, fast endurance athletics is not the joints but is dependent on the efficiency of the cardiovascular system a person is born with. The other factor is the abundance of slowtwitch fibers in the body machine. Turns out Don Parks, my worthy competitor, has the superior cardivascular engine, an abundance of slowtwitch fibers, and the replacement of joint original equipment with titanium, plastic, or whatever does not assure one that they will run faster. It just enables that joint to hold up no matter how fast the engine is. Bottom line here is that I really commend my competition for going through the major operation and re-hab to make this new addition to his knee work better. He worked hard for the win and left me in the dust and deserved the Gold. Congrats Don!

Movie Review: “Beastly” ***1/2, A contemporary Beauty and the Beast. Lyle(played by Alex Pettyfer) has looks, intelligence, wealth--and a cruel streak. He is a real nasty guy who never passes up the opportunity to make fun of someone who is not “beautiful or good looking” like he is. Little does he know that one of his classmates is a bonafide witch and she castes an ugly spell on him and makes him as ugly and he was good looking. Of course the only way for him to get the spell broken is for some one to fall in love with him as he now is. Go, see and learn how it pans out. An enjoyable entertaining movie not to be taken seriously. Rated PG-13 for language including crude comments, brief violence and some thematic material.

“Mango”, (No Rating), While I have never been much into animated movies I liked “Up” so much I decided to give this one a go. Plus, it had Johnny Depp as the main voice and that intrigued me. Turns out the first 10 minutes were so boring I just decided to change movies. Sorry about that Johnny(Mango). Rated: PG

“Black Swan”, *****, No question that this is a great movie and deserved the Academy award winnings; however, it is a very dark and disturbing move so be warned. The story revolves around a prima ballerina, played by Natalie Portman, who as most ballerina dancers are, is obsessed with her profession. She is picked to be the lead in the presentation of the White Swan but this also entails the Black Swan as well. Kind of a good versus evil kind of theme. While Ms. Portman had no problem with the White Swan part she just didn’t have the natural evil feel of the Black Swan. Pushed along by her very possessive and over protective mother, no mention of a father, she excelled to the utmost. Interesting ending. Rated R for strong sexual content(under stated), disturbing violent images(also under stated), language and some drug use.

EA, SH........:)

greerman

Quotables, Man-Laws, Movie Reviews

2011-03-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here is some great stuff that was in Bloomberg Business week that really says it all about the “Web of Contempt!!” ** These are quotes from quotable people(not made up by Mike Greer who has his own ideas about the subject):

“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations-none of which I know how to work-information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.” Guess who? Your President of the USA, Barack Obama. Just learned today that the President has over 4 million people on Twitter, whatever that means.

”I’d rather have a rectal examination on live TV by a fellow with cold hands than have a Facebook page.”--George Clooney, actor.

”I hate the Internet. I find it dehumanizing to constantly check e-mails or social sites which have become so fashionable.”--Keira Knightley, Daily Telegraph,

“ We have too many cell phones. We’ve go too many internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now.”--Ray Bradbury, Los Angeles Times,

”All these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers, and that can’t be good for you.”--Prince, Daily Mirror,

”I walk along the streets of New York and I find people bumping into each other, bumping into things, and they have these things in their ears or in their face. They’re not seeing anything of the real world.”--Edward Albee,

”In my head, I’m still living and working as if there is no Internet, and treat it as a nuisance.”--Jack White, NME.com.

”Ironically, with all this we are now more connected than ever with technology, but I don’t think we have ever been been farther apart.”--Drew Barrymore, Nylon.

Important Man-Laws:

Any man who brings a camera to a bachelor party may be legally killed and eaten by his buddies

Unless he murdered someone in our family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 12 hours.

If you know a guy for more than 24 hours, his sister is off limits forever unless you actually marry her.

Moaning abut the brand of free beer in a buddy’s fridge is forbidden. However complain at will if the temperature is unsuitable.

On a road trip, the strongest bladder determines pit stops, not the weakest.

It is acceptable for you to drive her car, it is not acceptable for her to drive yours.

Thou shalt not buy a car in the colors of brown, pink, lime green, orange or sky blue.

There is no reason for guys to watch Ice Skating or Men’s Gymnastics. Ever!

“GUTS is arriving home late after a night out with the guys, being assaulted by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to say, “are you still cleaning or are you flying somewhere?”
“BALLS” is coming home late after a night out with the guys smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the ass and having the balls to say, “Your next!”

The International Council of Manlaws, Ltd.(I didn’t make this up!!)

Movie Reviews: “Battle: Los Angeles” *, This is really a weak movie and I can’t imagine why any one would go to it or enjoy it once you get there. Aaron Eckhart(a guy that is a good actor but you never will remember his name) plays a retiring staff sergeant who gets called back in on the same day he retires. Obviously from the title the enemy attacks Los Angeles(funny no one ever attacks Lubbock, or Amarillo); however, this enemy is not the Middle Easterners, the Asians, or even European, they are from another galaxy and have decided that they need all the water that earth has and they are willing to fight for it. Funny thing is they are all robots and they must have had some kind of human beings turning the switches on or doing something to navigate them. But that wasn’t the case, and in the end the medium IQ sergeant figured out how to kill them by piercing them where their heart would be, if they had a heart. Sounds elementary I know, but none the less that is how they conquered the invading skinny tin head bad boys. Bad movie!! Rated Boring PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language.

“The Lincoln Lawyer” *** 1/2, This is a very good movie and fun to watch. Matthew McConaughey puts his shirt back on long enough to play a Los Angeles defense attorney Mick Haller, a case chaser who slips $100 bills into jars of peanuts before handing them out as Christmas gifts to sources. His office is the back seat of a used Black Lincoln Continental more often than not driven by one of his former clients. Forgot to mention, all of Haller’s clients are very sleazy and more than likely guilty until proven innocent. Haller does have an inward fear, and some conscience, that he may one day fail to recognize an innocent man. So, the case leads him to this client that will prove how good he is as a lawyer and how good he is at determining if his client is guilty or not. Happens to be a spoiled rich young man who abounds with arrogance and a way with beating up women. The film is well acted and certainly entertaining, but I wish there would have been a little background on his ex-wife who is also an attorney. The intrigue of their relationship goes a little in depth when they spend a steamy night together reuniting their love juices and McConaughey gets to take his shirt(and everything else) off for this sequence of wild lust making. The movie has a great ending and was great to watch. Rated R for some violence, sexual content(see what I said about the two exes creating more x’s and o’s) and language.

“Next Three Days” ***1/2, This is a very good movie staring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks as his wife. The film starts out very innocently with Crowe as a school teacher with a wife and one child(a boy about 5). The actions begins very soon in that his wife gets into an altercation in the parking lot of where she worked and the results is a battered dead women. Banks was tried and found guilty of the murder and sent to jail. All the while she would never really say she did or didn’t do it, even though she was convicted of very strong circumstantial evidence. Crowe, convinced she was innocent, then decided that the only way to get her out of jail was to break her out. So, he put together a master plan to bust her out of the slammer(a very secure slammer I might add). He devoted all of his time and money to this goal. Now you will have to go and see the movie, or see it on cable to find out the answer. But, remember, it is worth watching and very suspenseful. Rated PG-13 for short scenes of violence.

“Limitless” ****, When I left the movie house I was saying three and a half stars, but after thinking about it overnight it gathered another half star. This is really a good, entertaining, well acted movie. Since it is fiction anything goes and that is what makes it so good. Brad Cooper stars in this paranoia-fueled thriller as aspiring author Eddie Morra, who is suffering from real bad writer block. Fact is he is in such bad shape his girl friend leaves him, his apartment looks like the city junk yard, and he looks like a homeless person when he goes out on the streets. When all seems to be lost he runs into an old friend who shows him some secret, not FDA approved drug, that when taken enables Morra to realize all sorts of super things. There is instant recall to anything he has ever read, he can learn another language in minutes, and comprehend complex equations and beguile anyone he meets, as long as he keeps taking the drug. He also takes Wall Street by storm and with his super quick mind and ability to analyze equations instantly he makes a lot of money real quick. So, quick he draws the attention of Mr. Money him self Carl Van Loon, played by Robert Di Niro. His part was almost a cameo but he did come on very strong in the last quarter of the movie. But, the other side of the story is the down side of the drug if you discontinue taking it. You basically become a zombie and can’t function. So, the rest of the story is how he handled this and then you will know the ending. Not good for me to give away suspenseful endings. Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language.

For today......EA, SH.....:)

greerman

B-4, Move the Herd

2011-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Recently I took a tour of two modern dairies and aside from the actual milking(they must be milked three times per day) I was reminded of Southwest Airlines. Oooops, excuse me, how can this be and please explain yourself is what my faithful readers may be asking at this time. Well, here is the deal. In a dairy operation the cows go from point to point in the dairy to get fed, to poop/pee, to rest, and then to be milked. After a short while they become creatures of habit and just go from point to point without any real supervision. They get the drill and follow it very closely. But think about it, they get hungry so they naturally want to satisfy that hunger, then they get to a point where they must remove this waste so they do that, then they rest a while and then they are milked. All the time they go from area to area in the dairy to accomplish this, plus when they calf they must go to the birthing born to have their calf. So it all becomes a habit predicated on a need and the end results is the production of good wholesome milk. So, as I made my trip to Tulsa this week on Southwest I noticed the similarity of traveling on this particular airline because I have always said that Southwest was the airline that taught us how to react as dairy cattle do or like herds do. We are given certain instructions how to board their aircraft, which is very different from the other airlines, and since their beginning over 30 years ago they have changed the herding process onto their aircraft four different times, but never like the older airlines such as American or Delta. In the beginning boarding Southwest was almost a physical challenge that almost required you to be a young, strong well trained athletes. For the most part the airplane arrived at the gate and the passengers(let’s now call it a herd) for that flight would jump to their feet and start elbowing their way to the front, so obviously it was a first come first served seating arrangement. Usually who ever had the fastest feet and largest elbows got the best seat. There was no pre flight boarding, no assigned seats, not first class, just hell bent for leather elbow your way on. Then after the herd of loyal passengers had this down pat they changed to some colored plastic boarding cards that only allowed you to get on the plane based on your color, and you still had to fight for a spot, but it did give the herd the feeling of having some kind of seat when the gates were opened. One time I got on a flight in Houston headed for Dallas and after entering the run way they stopped the airplane and returned to the gate and made 3 people get off. Later, after getting in the air the captain came on and explained that, “sorry about that but we had too many people on the aircraft so we had to unload them, or did he say “herd” them? Now as the success of Southwest continued to grow they started another boarding procedure in which they had three signs up above the gate door entrance and your code for determination to load was a color, so when your color came up you stood in that herd and that is how you loaded. Seems as though it also had a color associated with when you loaded. Then about two years ago they came up with the present loading system in which you load by three groups, A, B, and C. They also installed tall poles that had your number on it so if you were assigned B-4 that means you would be in the B group in the B 1-30 loading group. Now to even add more efficiency to the herding system you can check in on line 24 hours in advance. I am now of the sophistication that I can do this all by myself and have found that being in the low numbers and as close to A-1 as possible I am more prone to get a better seat. Remember even though you have these numbers assigned does not mean you get say seat 4, or seat 10. As a loyal member of the herd you still have to move swiftly for your seat, take it and buckle up quickly so no one else will get it. One thing I really enjoy is that I see prominent and important people having to join the herd and fight for their seats just like us common folks, so that is really refreshing. Recently I got B-4(my goal is to some day get A-1) and found that I had many options of where to sit. I also like to giggle to myself about the new travelers who do not know the rules of the “herd” and they are looking down at their boarding passes trying to identify their number with the seats. Sorry folks it doesn’t work that way, it just gets you on the plane then you have to find your seat, or fight for your seat, whichever comes first or is required. My bottom line here is that I love Southwest and what they have done for efficient flying and excellent customer service, but I also appreciate their 20 minute turn arounds and fast exits off of the plane. This member of the “herd” understands why all of this is done and then when I have to travel on American or Delta I really appreciate what Southwest has done for the airline traveler of the day, whether it be weekly or once a year. “Git ‘em up, hitch em up, rawhide, this is Southwest Airlines and we are proud of it,” may be their next theme song. It did well for Clint!!

For today......EA, SH....:)!!

greerman

Writer Block, Movie Reviews, Book Reviews

2011-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

For some reason I have experienced some kind of writer block this morning and just can’t come up with anything real inspirational or motivational. So, in search of something meaningful to write about I consulted my library of over 900 books and found titles such as: Napalm & Silly Putty by Carlin, Build To Serve by Sanders, Mind Management by Greer, Living Successfully With Screwed Up People by Brown, Vampire Hunter by Brown, The Stuff of Thought by Pinker, Why We Suck by

Leary, Triathlon 101 by Mora, Power Meter by Allen, Divorce Busting by Davis, Anti Oxident Revolution by Cooper, Where Have All The Leaders Gone by Iacocca, and on and on. When it was all said and done all I gathered from this small gathering of my intellectual properties was a vast amount of either useless trivia, senior rambling or stuff too deep to comprehend this morning. Let’s take the Power Meter book for example. Now I bought that book at the recommendation of a cycling friend of mine who is quite good, but who is also a science type of guy. Well this book is about training on your bicycle with a power meter to get much faster and efficient. Since I have been riding for over 28 years I found the challenge of the Power Meter idea much too complicated and costly for my blood. Not only that I couldn’t understand most of the book. So, bottom line here is that I figure that if it really works then the riders who are smart enough to figure it out will also become faster and then beat all of us simple minded people, no matter how athletic they are. My current reading is being devoted to mind growth centering around books like, Rising To The Call by Guiness, and Courage and Consequences by Rove. To date I haven’t realized any real growth but I am having some fun and have plenty of room for this subject. But when I really want to get back to my roots of nasty, low down sarcastic humor I consult the likes of George Carlin. No one could(since he is dead now) be more direct and obscene than this guy. He said he didn’t like funerals, for many reasons, especially his own. He didn’t want a wake for his own service because he didn’t like the idea and lying on display, dead, in a mahogany convertible with the top down. Everybody looking and you’re dead as a door nail and someone says, doesn’t he look natural, when in fact the too much makeup thing makes you look like a drag queen. But then when life turns serious there is always the King James version of the Bible. Now you say, mentioning the works of George Carlin in the same breath as the Bible is somewhat against the grain of respect and dignity for both of these writings. Carlin was not much into religion of any kind, other than to make fun of it and use it for shock affect, while in turn the Bible needed scoundrels such as Carlin to make its’ point. So, a win win for both publications. In conclusion I think all of my readers can see my point of the day is that if you experience writer block just go to the family library and something will pop into the ole brain cells. Also, it also helps to gulp down a Red Bull and swallow some Ginkgo Smart!! In football we always said, “when in doubt, punt, when that doesn’t work, run like hell!!”

Movie Reviews: “The Adjustment Bureau”, ****, This is a good movie with a very different twist to a romantic story. Matt Damon(David Norris) stars as a very charismatic young man who is running for Congress. He has dedicated himself to this goal of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. On the brink of winning this election he mysteriously meets beautiful ballet dancer Elise Sellas(Emily Blunt). Just as he realizes he has fallen for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. Who these men work for is the real story in this movie, so you have to go see it to learn who the employer is. Very well done. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image.

“Hall Pass”, 0(as in Zero), This probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Not only is the subject matter bad, the way it is presented is even worse. Crude, obnoxious, nasty, obscene, horrible, stupid, just starts the description of it. Not only does it waste some good acting talent it wastes the viewers time even more. The so-call story line is about two best friends, played by Owen Wilson and Jason Sefeikis who are in long term marriages and they are now bored with their lives. So, their wives come up with the idea that maybe if they had one full week of not being married and they could chose to do whatever they wanted(no questions asked), would bring them back around. The idea is not bad and could have been an enjoyable romantic comedy if all of the real crude stuff had not been used to hijack the movie public into this farce. The Farrelly brothers direct while they try to copy the Cohen brothers, and they fail miserably. If you go see it after this review then it is your own fault you have wasted your money. Rated R for crude and sexual humor throughout, language, some graphic nudity(you mean when a guy takes a dump in the sand trap on a golf course) and drug use.

“Just Go With It”, *, Looks like I am on a roll with bad movies. This one also has some potential but just turned into real boring and stupid. Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman and Dave Matthews, all good actors, are really wasted. The involves a plastic surgeon(Sandler) who carelessly pretends to be married. He actually uses this as his “line” to pick up good looking babes, since he is single. When he does fall for a much younger school teacher his line back fires on him. So, he enlists his assistant(Aniston) and her children to help ease him out of the jam he caused. Could have been a cute movie but was poorly presented and really boring in most parts. Rated PG-13 for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language.

“Unknown”, ****, Liam Neeson proves again that he can carry a film with action, remember “Doubt”? This film has lots of action and intrigue with a great script, and acting to meet the challenge for this type of movie. The plot finds an American scientist and professor, played by Neeson, accompanied by his wife(January Jones), to a conference in Berlin. However, a traffic accident leaves Neeson hospitalized in a coma for four days and, upon awakening with no identification, his memory is fractured. When reunited with Jones, she says she has no idea who his is, and another man(Aidan Quinn) appears to have stepped into his identity. Bits of the truth start to emerge, but the questions are: is he who we are led to believe he is and what is his real mission? Go see, you will find out this important answer and how the director presents it is very entertaining. Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action.

Book Reviews: “The Memoirs of U.S. Grant, Part 1”, **, very well done but probably of no interest to most people other than for those who study the American presidents or like to read about past battles, i.e. Mexican War, and Civil War.

“Rising to The Call”, *****, A great little book written by Os Guiness concerning our call in life and whether we chose it or not, or how we chose it. But more than anything it illustrates through the concept of the Audience of One, and God’s Grand Employment. Well worth the time to read and ponder over.

For today EA, SH(where are you?).....:),

greerman

On the Rode Again, Movie Review, Book Review

2011-02-20T10:28:00.000-08:00

For the past 45 years I have been traveling the highways of Texas by automobile and there is very little of the state’s 261,797 square miles of land mass that I haven’t seen. To illustrate how much land mass that is, Rhode Island has a grand total of 1,045 square miles and you can fit it in the Houston ship channel if you wanted to. It is so small you can burp on one side of it and here it on the other side of the state. In my atlas that I carry with me on road trips and is always in my brief case pages 12-13 have three states, Connecticut/Massachusetts/Rhode Island on it and between them there is a grand whopping total of 13,730 square miles. So, bottom line here is that Texas is one big piece of geography and if you expect to drive in it any time soon you must get ready for some long open roads and lots of road kill. One time my son and I drove a cotton module truck from Lubbock to the lower valley of Texas, over 700 miles and we still talk about that trip. When we drive to Florida or Alabama we find that it takes us longer to get through and out of Texas than it does to cross 3 states, so lots of real estate is involved in driving the Lone Star state. My suggestion is that if anyone is going to driving in this state any time soon they should have some good entertainment electronics in their automobile. I have never been too big on that and have always enjoyed my am/fm radio and that has gotten me by over the years. I also like to spend about the first 200 miles of the trip in total silence except for the bumping of road kill, rain, or trucks honking their air horns. But for the past 3 years I have been subscribing to the Sirus satellite radio and have found it to be very entertaining while I drive. It has nearly 200 stations, but I have found I really only listen to one(Country & Western music, Channel 61) most of the time and then possibly “The Boss” on Channel 10, or Channel 110POTUS(politics of the people for the people). It has a bunch of nasty channels like the Playboy, Stern channels etc., but I have found them to be totally stupid and worthless. Due to the bad weather the past few weeks and many flights being canceled I found myself traveling to San Antonio from Lubbock, a 6 hr 20 min drive, so I made sure my Channel 61 was warmed up and ready to put out those true life stories that only C & W music can give you. Toby Keith started with his record where he confesses, “I may not be as good as I once was, but I am good once as I ever was!!!” and then it really got even better after that. Fact is I had to be really inspired with the wisdom that he passed on to me in good C & W tradition. Then as I pulled into that little town to the South called Colorado City the song “Sexy Tractor” played in harmony with the farmer ahead of me as he blocked the road with his green and yellow John Deere tractor. He just happened to have a straw hat on, overalls and was picking his teeth with an oversized tooth pick. To play out this highway drama I also had a pickup doing the ride my bumper gig, as we tried to work our way around this sexy tractor and of all things “Pick Up Man” started playing on Channel 61. Man was I relieved when this guy passed me and I swear his was lip synching the words to “Pick Up Man” and was chewing a big wad of tobacco. Funny thing though is being a pick up man with a big wad in his mouth, didn’t keep him from having a blonde babe with nice cleavage, sitting real close to him and of all things she was lip synching “Get Her Man” to the next tune on the voice box. Now as I am tooling on down the road after getting by these little moving road blocks what comes on the box but, yep you guessed it, “Blame It On Texas!!!” Wow what classics to keep my mind on the road and hearing this great C & W stuff. I even did a little lip synching myself, especially to the Toby Keith master piece. As I listen to this music it passes the time away and I can also practice my two stepping of the mind. On my return trip I also enjoyed more of the same and look forward to the 4 hour trip up North into the Texas Panhandle on Monday morning. Guess I’ll be lip synching “Amarillo By Morning” as I pass through Happy, Texas(the town without a frown). Hope to see all my readers “On the Road Again!!!”

Movie Review: “I Am Number Four”, ***, This is a good sci-fi flick with real human beings in it, so kind of has some human interest so to speak. The actors are young, fresh and relatively unknown but do a great job. Alex Pettyfer, plays an alien fugitive with many supper powers, on the run from enemies sent from another planet to destroy him. Changing his identity and trying to be as normal as possible, he moves from town to town with his guardian(Timothy Olyphant) and masks his true identity to pass as a typical student. Three like him have already been killed and he is guess what, yep you got it, number four or next to be killed. But after moving to a small town in Ohio the fugitive falls in love(they all do this) and wants to stop running. Hard to do when these monster type guys with super powers are determined to kill their prey. Lots of action and not a bad movie. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for brief language.

Book Review: “Extraordinary Relationships”, Roberta M. Gilbert, M.D., *, This book was recommended to me by a friend and was really done so to make me aware of the theory originated and taught by Murray Bowen, M.D., called the “Bowen theory” concerning human behavior or the family systems theory. All of his champions felt that his theories had the potential to replace most of Freudian theories concerning the same and would alter the way treatment approaches through out all medical practices. He had an idea that the basic unit of emotional functioning might not be the individual, as previously thought, but the nuclear family. My thoughts: Not to be overly critical of this theory my common sense had always told me that if a person came from a traditional family group the whole group would have to be considered part of the emotional expressions or actions of all in the group. While one family member might have more influence over another all of the emotions expressed in a given family will have an affect on everyone concerned. So, excuse me loyal followers of Dr. Bowen, the Bowen theory is not news to me. Also, in the case of the non-traditional family, whatever that make up might be, all involved will have an affect on the other. This is the sum total jest of this book so please don’t waste your money on it.

For today, EA, SH,....and.....:)

greerman

Best Friends, not! Movie Reviews

2011-02-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

Standing in line for anything is not my cup of tea, fact is I hate standing in line for anything. Even if I won a zillion dollar lottery prize I would not want to stand in line to pickup the money. Well, I don’t think I would like to do this, but at any rate I got to the Houston Hobby airport today after a long weekend of working the Houston marathon expo and finish line and found they had a wait in the security line longer than the Great Wall of China. They even had the gall to post a starting sign that said, 45 minute wait from this point on. Funny that is the length of time it takes to fly to Dallas, and the time it takes to fly from Dallas to Lubbock. So, I line up like a good little trooper for this “wait in line ordeal.” What I have learned over the years while waiting in line is that if you are able to talk to the person in front of you on any subject it makes the time go by much faster. As I looked on the backpack of the guy in front of me I noticed his name was Cody and he worked for a hi-tech company out of Scottsdale, AZ. This gave me a definite advantage in starting up this conversation but I had to figure out how to start it. Hum, how about, “nice day isn’t it?” But, he reply might be, “hell no I hate long lines!” Or maybe, “while spying on you I noticed your business card said you were from Scottsdale, AZ, how is the weather these days?” Of course he is likely to say, “none of your business and quit looking at my personal belongs!” With these possible rejections in mind I took the high road and said, “this line is so long I can’t see the end, what is the deal?” My new friend Cody responded with an affirmitive and the discussion to pass time was on. You have to remember that these conversations very seldom ever result in becoming best friends or anything but they do serve a purpose for the time being. I remember a line I stood in for 45 mintues to pay a traffic ticket and not only did I not make best friends I couldn’t think of any thing to say to these fellow law breakers. It was a demographic experience that I wish not to repeat. Now back to Cody, after some senior rambling(I have a right to ramble you know), and we both agreed that this line was at least as long as the Denver Airport. We also determined that we both travel a lot and spend endless hours in lines and that the DIA is a very confusing airport to travel through. When the conversation started to drag I decided I had better throw in some real useless subject matter, so I got on the first time I traveled through this old airport(Hobby) and that Southwest only had 3 planes then(they now have something like 600) and flew to 3 cities in Texas. Wow!! What trivia he said while holding his breath that I would leave him be and mind my own business. But I didn’t stop at that I also mentioned that at that time the air fares from Dallas to Houston were $19.00, McDonalds hamburgers were 19 cents, and gasoline was also 19 cents. By now this guy was wondering if I also lived during the terms of the George Washington presidency, or what? But he was kind to me and said, “that is interesting!” By now, nearly 45 minutes, we were closing in on the final stage of the TSA check in and had reached that final phase where you take off a portion of your cloths, have your body felt and gropped to a degree, especially if you look suspicious, then re-dress and get the hell out of there heading directly to your departure gate. It almost feels like you have graduated from something when you reach this point of your trip. After this massive inspection, un-dressing and then dressing I lost contact forever with my friend Cody and I realized we did have a time consuming conversation but we certainly did not become best friends. Oh well, doesn’t matter there is always that next trip to the many destinations that my life takes me to. Good day fellow travelers, see you in the friendly skies of the TSA handlers and we can be gropped together, someday.

Movie Reviews: “The King’s Speech”, *****, This is truly a five star movie and for many reasons, first, it is a true story during a critical time in the world, second, the story line presentation is excellent, third, the acting is beyond reproach, from the lead actor, Colin Firth, to the supporting actor, Georffrey Rush. Sometimes it is difficult to remember who the star of the movie really is. The movie has been nominated as Best Picture for an Oscar and has already won many earlier awards for the same. Based on history, director Tom Hooper’s film is anchored by Firth’s magnificent performance as British Prince Albert, destined to be crowned King George VI no matter how much he would rather lead a secluded life. He has, since childhood, represented royalty with a stammer, or stutter, and now his fear is multiplied by fate. Indeed, time is running out while Adolph Hitler’s forces move across Europe. England is on the brink of war; her citizens need a new king, one whose speeches will inspire and, in effect help lead. His last chance lies with the unorthodox treatment of an Australian speech therapist, played by Rush, and even Albert is not sure he trusts him. What a strange coincidence that the Austrialian saves the future King from further embarrassment in his speaking, while an Austrian(Hitler) is on his way to conquering Europe. This movie is an epic! Rated R(for no known reason) for some language(the f... word was used in one scene for therapy purposes, and actually outnumbered the times it was used in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, which was 22 times).

“No Strings Attached”, ***, While this movie certainly is not an epic, it is enjoyable to watch and entertaining(isn’t that what movies are supposed to be about?) and deserves the three stars. Viewers may be surprised at how many crude sexual references are invented by the screenwriter. On to the bigger story is a couple of likeable people, played by Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, who agree to a sex-only relationship. No love allowed, no cuddling, not even breafasts together, just sexual relief anywhere the desire comes up. So, we have lots of inventive ways for the two stars of the movie to have loveless intercourse. The only exception is the first time and these scenes are just one notch above soft pornographic. While it is easy to second guess the final outcome of this strange love(yes it does creep in, whether invited or not) affair, it is fun to watch the journey. Portman and Kutcher are great together, go see to enjoy! Rated R for sexual content, language, and some drug material.

For today, EA, SH, and ....:)

greerman

Ego(again), Movie Reviews

2011-01-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

Ego is a simple three letter word that is used frequently through out any given day. It is used to describe people that are really all into themselves and then escalates to narcissism. I know, it sounds like a bad disease but really isn’t. I have talked about the misuse of ego before on this blog site but cannot recall everything I said so I was prompted to be reminded of this word again during the most recent inductee ceremonies of the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame, in Colorado Springs. In 2004 when I was serving as the interim executive director of USA Triathlon I suggested to the board that USAT should have their own Hall of Fame and it should be done in a very professional basis. Even though the board drug their feet and moved it to a useless committee they finally moved it into the responsibility of a person that could get it done, and he did do that in a very professional way, using the good side of his ego. So, in 2008 the Hall of Fame did become a reality and it has been my pleasure to attend the inductee cermonies on all three occasions. As I listen to the introductions of the inductees and then I listen to their acceptance speeches the three letter word “ego” comes to mind. Now you say, “hey wait a minute bub these guys and gals are the best of the best that the sport has to offer, in both the athletic and non-athletic side, so where are you coming from. Well first of all the word ego is not a bad word, it is simply defined by our old Webster as, “the self”, “the rational part of the mind that controls actions.” Now when you start throwing out, “egotism, egocentric, ego trip,” it becomes another animal. So, what I experienced on this Hall of Fame inductee night is a lot of ego but not on the negative side. It has always been my strong belief that a happy ego makes for a happy person, and a self driven person, for the better. On the opposite side I see ego’s out of control that bring in the egotism, egocentric, and ego trip nature of the type of people who give the word a bad name. Through out the acceptance speeches I heard the message of extreme pride in what they were doing and the inner drive to do what they were doing with a desire to do it to the best of their ability. There was never the feeling that they were doing it all for themselves but shared the feeling of thanks and appreciation for all those who helped them achieve their successes. It reminds me of the first time I was accused of having a big ego I ask the person who said it to illustrate my egotism. After this person finished I ask, “are you still driving your Lexus and do you still live in the trendy part of town with the finest furniture money can buy, and oops I forgot do your designer cloths still fit real, good, etc., etc.?” Of course I knew the answers to these innocent questions were all yes, I humbly mentioned that my vehicle of choice was a 5 year old SUV with over 100,000 miles on it, my place of residence at that time was in a nice neighborhood but certainly not trendy, etc. So, who had the big ego here? In my opinion neither of us did, it was just a case of pointing out what ego is versus egotism, in a realistic comparison, and my point was well taken. It is so much fun to watch a healthy ego achieve so much in life. As I watch my professional friends achieve so much with their healthy ego’s, that lead to extreme successes and beyond reproach job satisfaction, it motivates me to do the same. So, I always encourage people to recognize this part of our personalities and use it to our best advantage, it works but can get out of control.

Movie Reviews: “The Dilemma”, ***, Nick(played by Kevin James) and Ronny(Vince Vaughn) co-star as a happily-married man and his unmarried best friend, respectively. The title’s dilemma refers to Ronny seeing his buddy’s wife(Winona Ryder) out with another man. He cannot decide when and how to break the news to his friend. More entertaining than I would have imagined. Worth seeing! Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving sexual content.

“The Green Hornet”, ***, Another action hero movie that is entertaining and fun to watch. A lttle story to it but you will not be over burdened by that. Seth Rogen stars as Britt Reid, who inherits his murdered father’s media empire and forms a friendship with an inventive employee(Jay Chou). Since Britt had never done anything his entire life but party and drink(his father was extremely rich) he decided that after his father died(he did not know it was murder at the time, so some real drama does exist in this fairy tale story) he would become a local hero and fight crime. Along with him was his trusted side kick Chou who was gifted in designing and building vehicles with great arsenals and speed. Lots of action and the new good guys do get their man and reveal the truth. Rated PG-13 for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content.

“Country Strong”, ***, Soon after a rising young musician(played by Garrett Hedlund)becomes involved with an emotionally unstable country music star(Gwyneth Paltrow), the pair are forced to embark on her career-resurrecting tour, controlled by her husband/manager (Tim McGraw). Oh yes, he also has hired a beauty-queen turned singer(Leighton Meester) as the opening act. Typical country drama sense the star is now out of re-hab for the umpteenth time and now trying to over come her ghosts. Even though her last show was her best the demons win. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving alcohol abuse and some sexual content.

Enjoy SH, EA, and ...:)

greerman

WTRC Thanks, Movie Reviews, Book Review

2011-01-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

A little over 34 years ago I joined the West Texas Running Club and have been a member ever since. When I joined it I really didn’t know much about it other than they put on a monthly race for a bunch of crazies that preferred to run as a hobby. The first event I ran in I took son Mike(not a Jr.) and we both realized after the first mile of this 5 mile race, that these guys and gals were serious about their running. Since I had never run a road race and the furtherest distance I had even run in a race was 440 yards, when I was a track man in high school and college, the 5 miles looked very long. As we started out I noticed some started out real fast and others did not. As I looked in front of me and saw all the people ahead of me I told myself that they would burn out and I would reel them in. What a dreamer I was, these people were maintaining their distance from both of us. Not only were they maintaining their distance some of them were going out of sight, making me feel like I was dragging an anvil. So, as we crossed the line after 43 minutes we learned that this West Texas Running Club bunch were not only serious but they could put ‘em up and lay ‘em down and had a cardivascular capacity that were much differnt than mine. While I was breathing hard and gasping for every breath these dudes and dudettes were running along effortlessly and making me feel like a real novice, which I was. As the years went by I was able to bring my 5 mile time down a little bit, to something like 35-37 minutes but I still had the hard breathing, and gasping for air feeling as I ran. So, yesterday I entered the 5 mile road race at Buddy Holly park and chugged along at 53 minutes and felt great. Fact is I felt so great I thought I was running it in 37 minutes, funny how the mind can fool you when you least suspect it. As I came across the line there were a few comments about the “ole man finishing” and the useless chatter that goes with “age awareness month,” which is every month the planet exists and something I just made up for this blog. I also had some people who ask me how I felt and how the run was for me, my comment simply put, “I started out slow and tapered off.” That always seems to draw a few grins instead of pity, and we go on to how nice the weather was or is. Actually the weather was good even at 26 degrees and a slight wind, but plenty of sun so I know I got some vitamin D. Then after returning home I got to thinking about this bunch called the West Texas Running Club and started thinking about how great it is to have such a strong organization that has been serving the runners of this area for nearly 40 years. The leadership and organization of this totally volunteer non-proft club is beyond reproach. The club has had such a great succession in leadersip that it seems that no matter who is on the board or whoever is the president, the continuity of quality leadership is always there. As I look at other non-profits I have been involved in, and even served in the leadership of some of them, I feel that the West Texas Running Club sets the perfect example as to how a club of this nature should be. With all volunteers they put on 12 races per year, have great race support, great results, safe venues and great awards. Then they put the icing on the cake with a challenge series and then an annual awards get together. It just doesn’t get any better than that. Even though I have been a member since 1977 I have never served on the board, but I have done volunteer work for them, including race directing one of the annual races. Working side by side with them further illustrates how this club runs like a finely tuned piano. Since it would be hard to name everyone in the club who works so hard for its’ success, I would just say, “way to go WTRC club, keep setting the pace and doing the great job that you do!!! This member really appreciates it.

Movie Reviews: “Tron: Legacy”, ***, Not a bad sci fi flick. I generally have trouble getting into them, but did this one. It is still no more than 3 stars, but worth going to see. As the film opens, video game designer Kevin Flynn(played by Jeff Bridges) has been missing for 20 years, trapped inside the Grid(you will learn what that is when go see the movie). Garrett Hedlund is his son, Sam Flynn, drawn into the Grid and, once there, intent on rescuing the dad he lost when he was 7. Great action and visual affects, but still real plastic looking. Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language.

“Unstoppable”, ** This is not a terrible movie but I just couldn’t muster another star. The only thing that would tempt was the fact that Denzel Washington was the star choo choo veteran train engineer and Chris Pine plays the new rookie engineer. They are paired together this fateful day, when a couple of real bozos that work for the rail road, let a fully loaded freight train get loose and cause havoc through Northern Pennsylvania. Of course there is lots of action and destruction scenes, and of course the two stars prevail. It was a little comical to watch how the film makers developed the “Top Gun” type attitude of freight train engineers relative to the veterans attitude towards the rookie engineers. Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and peril, and some language.

Book Review: “Marathon FIT to Lead”, ****, This book is not about actually running the marathon but is an excellent analogy using the marathon distance of 26.2 miles compared to life time events. Mike Matte, The Marathon CEO, does a great job of illustrating how the comparison of training and running the marathon has close similarities. Chapter titles such as: The First Step, Visualize Your Success, Prepare, Be Present, The Abyss, Build Your Strengths, are just a few of the 26.2 chapters that await you to read.

For today, SH, EA, and .. :)

greerman

Nix Resolutions, Movie Reviews

2010-12-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

The end of any year signals the beginning of a New Year, which is a heavy way of saying, “gear up dudes and dudettes and get set for another one!!” Now there are many ways to do this such as cleaning off your desk of all of the previous years junk, or maybe clearing out your closet of all the clothes your haven’t worn in 5 years(speaking of experience here) or possibly getting your new daytimer ready by transferring all of the old addresses and phone numbers to it(yea I know that is not done now by most since they put this on their smart phones, which is fine if you are smart, but if not then you transfer the hand written stuff over, by hand) or there is always the thought of going to or planning a big party on the night before the new year, which is called New Years Eve. This is of course is the one night of the year that people who like to get drunk, really get drunk. The reason there are so many drunks on New Years is because they are expected to do this by our society and so they do it. We know that the law enforcement expect them to do this because on the freeways they put up signs that say, “Drink and get a DWI(Driving While Intoxicated) or now the term is DUI(Driving Under the Influence), a little more sophisticated term but still is the same on your driving record. I noticed one last night that said, “Drink and Go To Jail,” wow what an invitation. So, obviously with all this signage there are going to be reminders to the drunks to be sure to drink and drive heavily. So, for this one day and night of the old year transitioning into the new year, it is total useless behavior that has never made much sense to me. In addition to the uselessness of this year end behavior I find another empty headed practice of writing New Year’s resolutions. This practice was probably started back in you know when during the time of Moses. I am sure he sat down one New Years eve and wrote out his new resolutions for the coming year with something like: 1. The sea will be parted by my cane, 2. My people will walk to the other side ,3. Then I will clean up my mess by putting the sea back in the right place, 4. Then of all things my people will be free. Now, usually New Year resolutions are a list of at least 10 things but I am going to let Moses off on this one. Moving on to modern times what we usually see now on the resolutions is the good ole stand by called going on a diet to lose 35, 45, or maybe even 55 pounds(seems like a good idea since 68% of the USA population is obese) or maybe starting an exercise program to lose this weight, or maybe take dancing lessons so when I go to the local meat market that ends with R, I can get ask to dance every dance, or maybe someone would want to make a million dollars so they write their New Years resolution to make a million dollars in the first quarter of the New Year. While there are thousands of these type goals out there I contend that this goal setting thing is really old, stupid and generally a huge waste of time and isn’t worth the paper it is written on. So now what I would propose is that this practice be abolished by an act of our Congress and that “goal achievement” be the new term and that it be practiced and strictly enforced on June 1 of each year. Why June 1 you ask(I assume someone is reading this)? Simply because it is in the middle of the summer and the weather is warm through out the USA(right now I am not concerned about Europe, South America, Asia, or any where else, we have to set the example for the rest of the world, then they can follow when they see our dramatic results). One of the reasons there are so many drunks on December 31 is because it is cold weather and they think they will get warm if they drink a lot. Also, June is in the middle of the year and the slump is beginning to set in, so we revive our enthusiasm by

writing new, refreshing “goal achievement” lists and end the year with great things happening in our life. Also during June it would be easier to sweat off all of that excess blubber and replace it with tanned muscle tone. On the business side one could see the half way point more clearly and then gear up their juices and do a “goal achievment” seminar in Hawaii. The good news there is since business people are more bottom line oriented going to Hawaii in the summer would be more economical and there would be no worry on busting the pleasure budget. In conclusion I think everyone gets the jest, yea I know I should have written this on December 29, 2009 but at least it is now the written word and can be practiced June 1, 2011. After all it will take Congress at least that long to get it voted in. Now to finish out the year by writing another blog and missing the parties.

Digest this SH & EA!!

greerman

Movie Reviews: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1”, ****(if you like Harry Potter movies), otherwise if you are like me *(boring). If you are fans you will go and see this as one who is loyal to the movement. The story is all of the former school mates from Hogwarts School must find hidden Horcruxes if Harry is to stand any chance of killing Lord Voldemort(obviously a villian). All’s well that ends well. Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence, frightening images and brief sensuality(must have slept through all of that).

“How Do You Know”, ***, A new contemporary romantic comedy co-starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson. Witherspoon and Rudd, cast as Matty and George, meet for their first date on a the worst night of their entire lives. Matty, a devoted athlete, has just been cut from her team and has begun a fling with major league baseball player(Wilson). Then the fun begins. George’s father is played by Jack Nicholson and their drama makes the movie interesting. Go see with the idea this is not an award winning movie, but entertaining. Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language.

“Little Fockers”, ***, The test of wills between Jack Byrnes(Robert Ne Niro) and son-in-law Greg Focker(Ben Stiller) escalates to new comic heights in this third Fockers movie. This is an all star cast with Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, and Owen Wilson. All kinds of funny drama goes on while former CIA investigator Jack suspects Greg of foul play with other women, etc. Some funny scenes and harmless. Rated: PG-13 for mature sexual humor throughout, language and some drug content.

“True Grit”, ****, This is really a marginal four star but got to give them credit for challenging the sacred grounds of John Wayne. I am not sure he is rolling in his grave over this one but is probably proud of the way it is presented. The story is the same as the orginal with 14 year old Mattie Ross seeing her dad murdered. She then hires Roster Cogburn(Jeff Bridges does a great in playing this part) to track the killer down and bring him to justice. They also find a Texas Ranger played by Matt Damon(this was played by Glenn Campbell in the first film and he was terrible, Damon is not much better) to help them capture this murdering outlaw. Lots of action and Bridges plays Rooster real well, very enjoyable movie. Go see it for sure. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of western violence, including disturbing images.

Tough Being Number One, Movie Reviews, Book Review

2010-12-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

For the past six weeks my bowling team has been in first place in league play and now the pressure is beginning to mount. Since this is a two person team league my team consists of me, one other and a substitute. So when we have rah rah get togethers, which amounts to a bucket of bottle beer prior to bowling, plus maybe some popcorn or pizza as the pre-game meal, and then the 15 minute warm up, the crowd is quite small. We practice our high fives but no fist bumps(bowling is the only sport where the fist bump is not a good thing, since it means you rolled an open frame and did not strike or spare, consequently you do not mark, which is a bad thing). Since most of us don’t actually practice or even see the bowling alley between bowling night(Wednesday in our case) this precious 15 minutes is very critical and offers the competitors the time to get their mark down and make adjustments. My adjustments usually depend on what kind of swim, bike and run work out I have done prior to bowling. Some times a long bicycle ride or run can affect my approach since my legs may be a little stiff, or if I swim then my arms tend to get a little tired and I have trouble controlling the ball. So, as anyone can see this bowling is not as easy as one might think. But then again when you reach the top of the league as my team has we find that staying number one is much harder than the journey to get there. In the first place no one figured a team made up of an old man(me) and a fellow who has had many health problems over the years, but probably 20 years younger than me, could possibly muster up enough marks to be in the lead at the halfway point. But with consistency and tenacity we have carved away some niches for ourselves and have a nice lead going into the holidays. The big problem now is the teams that think they should be in the lead really try to take it out on us and won’t even speak to us during the three game series. Fact is if this was football it would be like helmet tackles to the head, gouging the eyeballs, and kicking you in the privates. Yes folks this game of bowling can be a real tough form of exercise and competition. One thing they did this past week is throw one of their baseball caps out into the lane while I was starting my approach. Man, that is real dirty stuff and then when they get a big laugh when you don’t mark and they do it becomes almost unbearable. But, my partner and I just keep on bowling and winning, winning and then winning some more. We took lessons from Brett Favre and just continue to roll those balls down the lane and knock over those obnoxious fat bottomed pins. After the three games this past Wednesday our opponents never high fived us, never said great game or great strike or anything of those things that are called good sportsmanship. In spite of this we came away with our victories and remained in first place. The guys were sure they were going to blow our balls(pardon the pun) out of the building, but we maintained our cool and sent them home still in third place. Next week we will be bowling another team that will treat us the same way so on Christmas week we will have to put our most focused game face on and beat their butts. Some times we draw a female only team and they are usually nicer than the men, that is if they are winning. If they aren’t winning they can become very hostile and say real bad things, like “you have a real old looking butt, or your aging has really been noticeable since your birthday last week, or maybe your bowling really sucks most of the time, or “ladies first” so get out of our way, or if they are so endowed they will do the cleavage thing to screw up our concentration, or if they happen to have a nice butt they will wear extra, extra tight jeans that looks like they were born in them, or some other kind of uncanny, catty type thing. As I mentioned in the beginning, “being number one is a bitch, much easier to get there than stay there”, but I promise my partner and I will bowl as hard as we can and knock as many pins down as possible(the results being a higher score) and hopefully walk away with the number one trophy in the spring. The last time I won a first place bowling trophy was in 1964 and I was a 24 year old 2nd Lt. in the active US Army. Now I am heading towards my second first place trophy as a 72 year old, retired Lt. Col. 48 years later. Go figure!!

Movie Reviews: “The Fighter”, ****, This is a true story about boxer Mickey Ward who struggled with mediocracy and then became the World Boxing Champion. Mickey is played by Mark Wahlberg and his older half brother Dicky Ward is played by Christian Bale. Dicky(Bale’s) is a former boxing legend himself who squandered his talents and one shot of greatness. He became a crack addick very young in life and was obcessed with this addiction. He was also the trainer for Mickey but couldn’t leave the crack alone long enough to really train his brother. Then all hell pops loose within the family and Mickey’s new girl friend played by Amy Adams helps him see the light that if they don’t seek better managing Mickey will never win the championship. Against all odds they did come together and win. Very good movie, if the Oscars are looking closely I am sure Christian Bale will be nominated. Rated R for language through out(record number of f... bombs), drug content, some violence and sexuality.

“The Tourist”, ***, This is a good movie with an interesting twist. Anyone who likes to look at Angelia Jolie(and who doesn’t?) will most certainly not miss this movie. Since it is a criminal mystery it starts out that way and then tests your who done it and why they done it abilities through out. With the backdrop of Paris and Venice it provides a tremendous atmosphere. Johnny Depp plays the part of Angelia’s stranger(or is he?) boyfriend and they strike up some very good chemistry. It does turn out to be a deadly game of cat and mouse and someone must die. So, there are villians and good guys and guess who dies? Go see, well worth the ticket and popcorn. Rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language. NOTE: No nudity, Angelia keeps all of her garments on during this one, SHUCKS!!

Book Review: “George W. Bush--Decision Points,” *****, Just finished this book on my last trip and I can say it is a very good book. It really opened my eyes to a lot of “decision points” concerning this eight year presidency. It also opens up some interesting points considering the many aspects of making presidential decisions. Without a doubt the details and explanations of how major decisions were made is outstanding. The former president does not shy away from his mistakes, or his successes. Whether you have any desire to read about former presidents or this one in particular, I believe it would be enjoyed by all, especially people that are interested in presidential history.

Okay SH, what you think?

greerman

Gropeless, Movie Reviews, Book Review

2010-12-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

For the past three months I have been on a real travel by air marathon, fact is these months of travel have been the most intense since I was a young stud sales manager traveling the USA. Since September my trips have been to Myrtle Beach, SC, Kona, HI, Clearwater, FL, Denver, CO, Colorado Springs, CO, Washington DC, Tuscaloosa, AL, Birmingham, AL, Phoenix, AZ. This time frame doesn’t include the trips by automobile that include Dallas, TX, Boulder, CO, Amarillo, TX, Midland, TX, Rio Rancho, NM, etc., etc. So, needless to say I have seen some country, done a little business and also competed in a few triathlons. So, out of all this it may sound a little boring however my trip to the Nations capital probably offered the most comical. Since the air trips involved 32 different segments of getting off and on the plane(a segment being from one airport to another, i.e. Lubbock to Dallas, get off and then fly to the final destination) I went through the security areas so often the TSA guys and gals got to know me by sight, not just by my photo ID. After awhile it all becomes a haze and one trip runs into another, on one segment I woke up from my tidy little nap and couldn’t figure out where I was or where I was going, but the good news is that the pilot and navigator did, so I went back to sleep. The one trip that does stand out has to be the DC-Dulles Airport trip. It was an early trip out of Lubbock to Houston, so I get there plenty early and get all situated at the check in but decide to carry my bag on rather than check it. So, I step up to the blue uniformed(they just changed the colors late in 2009) TSA official to show my ID and board pass and all of a sudden I thought I had left my cell phone in the car. So, after going through the security check point I had to drop out of line to go after the almighty cell phone. Alas, I had actually put it in the corner pocket of my brief case and so I was okay, now back in line. So, the TSA guy gets a good grin as I pass through again. Now I go through the complete line, you know stripping down to something more comfortable for these blue suited lust filled eyes and take my bag(remember I am not checking my bag this time) through the camera area. Lo and behold the blue suiter takes out my shaving kit and says that most of the things in it are “over sized” and have too many ounces. So, I could throw them all away or go back to the ticket counter and check them, then return back to security for the third time. I took the second option and checked the bags. Now, I come through the check point for the third time and the blue suiter really got a laugh. We almost became best friends, but I can say the third time was the charm, I was now able to enter the aircraft, take my nap and wake up wondering where I was. Now for the trip back I go to the Dulles airport plent early, make it through the security check point but then discover that I have left my George W. Bush book in the hotel room. Thankfully I was staying at the airport Marriott and they have a continual shuttle running to and fro from the hotel to the airport. I then proceeded to go out to hotel pick up at curbside and go back to the hotel. As I walked in I got some grins then got my old key to my old room and found the book sitting right where I had left it. So, back to the airport and now through the security check point AGAIN!!! This time there was more of a line but I did make it through without a hitch. Now for the kicker in this story! I went through the security checkpoints 5 times on this trip and never once got rubbed, felt of, groped, fondled, searched, or felt intimidated by a gorgeous big breasted, great cleavaged blonde TSA blue shirted official. After all I had been reading about how the passengers are being searched by these wicked hands of the blue suiters I was expecting this and had planned on enjoying myself during the search. Sorry, not to be, these guys and gals are very professional and never once touched me in such a way that would excite any of my body parts. Good work TSA team, keep up the good work and keep the “friendly skys” even more friendly. A couple of rules I now have established after this trip, one, never do the carry on bag thing, two, always double check the cell phone location before entering the line, three, always check the room before leaving just to make sure you have everything(I always do this but failed to this one time), four, always wear something that is easy to put on and take off, you never know what might come up during the trip, then you are prepared at all times. Now to pack for the next trip, yep, this Friday to Colorado Springs, CO. Love the Springs!!!!

Movie Review: “Faster”, *, This time I agree with the local critic and matched his stars. This is a very violent movie and really not that good. The mystery unfolds in far too predictable fashion, and all that leaves us with is serial revenge killings by a big brother who, for reasons unknown to us, may feel most at home behind the wheel of a speeding automobile. There is a gaping hole in the film as the character know as Driver, played by Dwayne Johnson(a good actor actually), walks out of prison to the tune of threats from other inmates, saying he will be a walking dead man on the outside. Once outside he starts killing those that responsible for his brothers murder. Funny thing is he rides around the country side walking into public places blowing peoples brains out and never gets caught. He also gets shot in the back of the head but is saved because the last time he got shot in the back of the head they put a steel plate in his head that saved him from the second shot to the back of the head(figure that one out). Billy Bob Thorton is a corrupt detective that shoots up(drugs), and of course is on the take. Driver realizes his ultimate goal is shooting Billy Bob in the back of the head. Yes folks this is one useless piece of cinema that doesn’t really deserve more than a star. Don’t waste your money on this one. Rated R for strong violence, some drug use(you mean when Billy Bob shoots up with the scene showing the needle going in his arm) and language.

“Morning Glory”, ***, This movie is set in the dysfunctional world of morning television news shows. It would be considered a romantic comedy, and also a little satire thrown in for the morning show crowd. Some really neat cameo appearances by popular TV news commentators. The story is around television producer Becky Fuller(played very well by Rachel McAdams). After being fired from her current job and in dire need of a job she apllies for and gets the producers job for a last place rated national morning show called “Daybreak.” Her goal is to revitalize the show by uniting legendary TV anchor Mike Pomeroy(Harrison Ford), but he refuses to cover fluff features alongside co-anchor Colleen Peck(Diane Keaton), a former beauty queen and veteran morning show personality. The two clash, first behind-the-scenes and then on the air. Becky also develops a neat love affair and the guy understands her desire to be successful, so this offers a side dish of a story. Enjoyable movie, well worth the money but will not win any awards. Rated PG-13 for some sexual content including dialogue, language and brief drug references.

Book Review: “Decision Points-George W. Bush”, 80% done on this great book. It gets better as I get close to the last pages. My problem is when I am reading a very good book I have a tendency to not read it as much, when I get close to the last pages since I do not want it to end. So, I am dragging a little but will have it finished this weekend.

How are you Ms. SH, lots to read this time!!

greerman

Alarm Clock, Movie Reviews, Book Reviews

2010-11-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

One of my simple goals in life is to wake up before the alarm goes off. Since I am an early riser by nature I normally do not set the alarm for everyday wake up. My main goal for that wake up is to shoot for around 5:30-6:00 a.m. and beat the shiftless, good for nothing time of 7:00 a.m. The reason for that is when I was a kid my dad would tell me that anyone that slept till 7:00 a.m. or later would never be worth anything and would turn out to be a “shiftless, good for nothing” human being. He was so adamant about it that it stuck in my sub-conscious never to leave or be erased. So, I always wake up prior to that forbidding time and go about my day. The other day I had a 5:50 a.m. flight out of Lubbock so I needed to wake up 4:15 a.m. I set the alarm the night before for 4:15 a.m. but was determined to beat it to the punch since alarms are basically very obnoxious things in the early morning. At 4:00 a.m. I was awake staring at the alarm making sure that I did not have to listen to it growl. At 4:10 a.m. I reached over and turned it off and then got up, with victory over the clock. Sometimes this is not a good practice since it is possible to go back to sleep, but the alarm guru’s figured this out by putting a “snooze” feature on it so you can hit it and then grab a couple of minutes more. When I am staying in a hotel and need to get up without fail for a meeting or something I just call the front desk and ask for a wake up call. Of course now with all the new modern hi tech stuff some have phones that require a computer programer to set the alarm. I stayed in one last night that was cordless but really didn’t work, so I called the front desk with my cell phone to tell them that my room phone didn’t work. Now, you hi tech freaks are saying, “why not use the alarm feature on your brilliant I Phone?” Well that is a real strange question since I don’t know how to set it and further more do not want to learn how to set it. The hotel was very accommodating since they promised they would send someone to my room to knock on my door. Well it turns out I slept every 15 minutes so I really didn’t need the wake up after all since I was already awake. I did set the alarm that was furnished in the room but when it went off I could barely hear it, so if I had been asleep I would not have heard it. Now, to wrap up this drama I did wake up in time and the hotel did send the messenger to knock on my door, BUT!!!!, he was 15 minutes later than my wake up call. At any rate I made my flight, took a nap on the plane and answered my wake up when the pilot says, “buckle up we are now landing”!!! WOW, this hi-tech world!!!

Movie Review: “Secretariat”, ****, No doubt a four star true story movie about one of America’s greatest athletes: A horse named Big Red, as he was called by his owners, but Secretariat as he was known in the horse racing world, who took his enlarged heart and desire to win and not only won the triple crown, but completely dominated it. The real story is how he got there and the people who helped him make it happen. There was the jockey, Ron Turcotte, the trainer Lucien Lauren(played by John Malkovich) and of course the owner Penny Chenery, played by Diane Lane. She fights just about every challenge you can imagine to make the dream of winning the triple crown happen. From financial challenges to the male chauvenists who really did not want “just” a housewife to be the owner of a winning horse. So, the real story is the getting there that makes this such a great movie. Please stay for the credits at the end since it tells you where the real people are now. Rated PG for brief mild language.

“Due Date”, *, While this really is not even a one star movie and without a doubt one of the worst movies I have seen this year I gave it one star since it did have two good actors in it. While it is apparent Todd Phillips, the director of this mess, thought he could imitate “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” , he didn’t even come close. That was a funny movie and Due Date doesn’t even come close. The story revolves around Peter Highman played by Robert Downey Jr.(a very good actor) as an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is only five days away. As he hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay(Zach Galifianakis--funny man from Hang Over) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip(Planes, Trains and Automobiles style, but not funny) that destroy’s several cars, numerous friendships, has a human/dog masturbation scene that was not funny and should have been left out, and just does not make any sense. The co-star’s Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx and Juliette Lews were also wasted in this useless piece of cinema. Now if you go see this it is your own fault. Rated R for language, drug use and sexual content(you mean when Galifianakis and his pet dog masturbate in harmony?)

Book Review: “Tears of A Clown--Glenn Beck and The Tea Bagging of America”, Author Dana Milbank. *, This is really a weird book in that it makes no sense and if you can figure out what the point is please let me know. Supposingly Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank prsents a fair and balance look at multimillionaire real American Glenn Beck. Beck is the very popular Fox News host who boasts 3 million daily viewers. It intrigued me, before I read it, since I knew nothing of Beck and thought it might enlighten me. Again, useless and missed the point in my opinion. Save your money, I sure didn’t.

Current Reading: “Decision Point-George W. Bush”, half way through and this is an excellent book. Will have final review within a few days.

How about this Ms. SH??

greerman

Tubman/Leach, Movie Reviews, Book Refiews

2010-11-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

Most of the time when I blog I have a central point that I want to make or talk about. Usually it is about something that went on during the week or weeks previous to the post and I just thought about it for a while. Many times this is motivated by my frustrations over the subject or see some humor in it. Like for example, our past football coach at Texas Tech that I labeled, Coach Brilliance in his early days heading up the football program, then I changed it to spelling his name Leech rather than Leach, simply because the things he said about his contract reminded me of leeches. Those little slimy things that live in the water and blood suck on you till you finally die, I guess. Then he introduced the concept of Pirates to the university, team, and city and it became a cool thing to own some kind of Pirate stuff. This became so bad you began to wonder if the mascot and team name would be changed from the Red Raider to Pirate, and we were going to be required to wear an eye patch to the games. It all became history when he was fired for insubordination and right before their 2009 bowl game. Just because he called up the Chancellor and literally cussed him out with words that cannot be printed on my blog, and did the same to a few of the Board of Regents. Well the real story is he was insubordinate the whole time he was at Tech and in the first two years rumor had it that his adult bar visits were more frequent than his being on time for a team meeting. Now we have that problem all solved since he was fired and Coach Tuberville has taken over a very successful, winning football team(winning record last 10 years, bowl appearances for past 10 years and highest graduation rates of all the Big 12 schools) and coached it down(as opposed to up) to a 4 win 4 loss season so far. Yesterday they lost to old rival, the Texas A & M(Aggies) and now with some strong teams left on the remaining schedule they could finish at best 6 wins 6 losses, but I would predict right now 5 wins 7 losses. This of course would make them not eligible for a bowl game(must have 6 wins for that), which will only get them in the insignificant bowl at best. So, how does all this happen in just a mere few months. Well these new coaches have more excuses than I have ever seen but I do know one thing for sure, SouthEast coaches always come to Tech with the attitude that Big 12 football is not up to par with the SE and they always leave with more losses than wins and wonder what happened. So, Coach Tuberville please gear up your britches and start to get ready for 2011. Your coaching credentials are great but you need a better supporting caste of assistants and quit scrimmaging all through the season. The reason you have so many injuries is a 12 game season, starting with two a days in August, just invites more injuries especially if you have contact work during the regular season. With the degree of hard hitting that is going on, the artificial turfs that make it much harder to land on without injury, and the fact that these little darlings are pampered all their life, they need some rest from contact during the week. Now you ask, how do you know this you ole man that still scoots around with the swim, bike and run sport of triathlon. Well I spent 13 years playing that game of football and have experienced just about everything you can imagine on the field of play, i.e. winning lots of games, earning a college scholarship, injuries, lots of scrimmaging and contact work in workouts, being chewed out by coaches, being praised by coaches, etc., etc. So, listen to me on this and lightened up a little bit and see what happens. Right now your offensive coordinator is in way over his head and just doesn’t make the right decisions for the offensive plays when they are really needed. And that fake signal stuff that goes on during the game at the Raider bench is a waste of energy and seems to be confusing the team even more, plus the fact that making stupid excuses is even more ridiculous. And you Mr. defensive coordinator, you have a way about you in using that big mouth that just doesn’t seem to get your point across. Oh yes I am sure they hear you, as the rest of the world does, however I can’t see how it it equating to success on the field of play(where everything is measured). The bottom line here is that you can salvage a bowl eligible season, but not likely, if you buckle it up and follow my suggestions. Otherwise, you can hang them up after the Houston Cougar game and start getting ready for 2011. It is going to be a long off season and no amount of public relation speeches around town will make the city forget this season, until of course you go 12-0 in 11. Go for it Coach!!!

Movie Review: “Hereafter”, ****, This is a Clint Eastwood directed movie and is excellent. This story does not resemble anything else he has ever done and is so far from Dirty Harry that it really makes you appreciate the depth that Eastwood brings to this cinema industry. His exploration of death, or rather what happens afterward, is not what we walk in expecting from a man in his 80’s. Rather the movie is quiet often subtle, actually a little slow to start with except for the tsunami’s arrival at an Indonesian beach. Star newswoman Cecile de France is among the thousands killed, but while she has the opportunity to see life in the hereafter she returns to life, but then is haunted by this knowledge. Her story is the first of three separate story threads. Matt Damon plays the part of a rare legitimate psychic, also haunted by his “gifts” since he goes through life with strong misgiving about them and even labels them “curses” at times. The other story involves the death of a twin brother in England and how the survivor seeks out the real psychic to get answers on life “hereafter” and asks for his help in explaining where his brother is and why this happened, the twins are 10 years old. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including disturbing disaster and accident images, and for brief strong language.

Book Reviews: “Laura Bush-Spoken From The Heart”, ****, This is an excellent book written by the former first lady of the President George W. Bush. It starts with her childhood and goes through the years in the White House. Very articulate and full of details about her service as the First Lady, subtle justification for the decisions(but not dwelled on) made by “George” as he served in the Presidency. Her attention to details from the time she was a youngster up until the final days in the White House are interesting to read and would make this book an asset to your book shelf(after reading of course).

“Tiger-The Real Story”, ***, This is the second book written about Tiger since his fall from grace in the golf and business world. It is written by Steve Helling and he does a good job with the facts and definitely wrote it with no restrictions by the Tiger, but also was done with some taste and respect. Probably it would only be an interest to those who like golf or who have followed Tiger since he was a kid. His father use to say that “he would be more well known for what he did off of the golf course than what he did on it.” Well I am sure he was right but I am also sure that what he is now known for off of the golf course is not what he father meant.

How are you Ms. SH!! Hope you enjoy!!

greerman

The Tubman, Movie Reviews

2010-10-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought all the fans for Texas Tech football had the bad goods on the new football coach Tuberville he pulls a fast one and wins against the Colorado Buffalos. While the first half gave the neatest mascot of all time, Ralphie the live Buffalo, the right to really strut around the second half turned out very different. After watching Tech get beat bad by Oklahoma State the previous week it was becoming obvious that the do dads in charge of hiring and firing at Tech had made a huge mistake in firing the former head pirate Mike Leach, and then hiring Tommy Tuberville, a re-tread former coach from Auburn. On top of winning the game in Boulder Coach Tub becomes the first head football coach at Tech to ever win a game in the confines of that cozy little stadium that sits on the Colorado Boulder campus with a capacity of 50,000. For this game 47,000 fans showed up to see Colorado out play Tech real bad in the first half, then during the half time Coach Tub put some fire into the bellies of his padded beasts and they won the game. In last weeks game Coach Tub had all kinds of excuses, such as: “We couldn’t throw the ball in the fourth quarter because of the wind blowing!!” Well I got news for you dude, West Texas invented the wind and is very proud of it. If you don’t want to play in the wind then go back to Auburn and play in the humidity. Then the offensive coordinator said that Tech couldn’t get their offense going because the opposing team was “faking” injuries and stopping their momentum. This had to be the most lame excuse I have ever heard a coach make, kind of like saying the artificial turf slowed them down because it had grown during the week. It just didn’t make sense and then saying it wasn’t an excuse was also lame, either it is or it isn’t. Now Tech has a very important victory with a season record(4-3) and to be bowl eligible they must win at least six games. The way they have played this year the only bowl they would go to is the insignificant bowl played in no-where USA. With over 30 bowl games out there they could scrape up something just to say they continued their streak of 11 straight years of playing in bowl games. Raider Nation, the un-official group that still loves fired Coach Leach and hates present Coach Tuberville, hopes they don’t go so that will prove to the Tech administration that they made a real booboo in firing their favorite pirate of the gridiron. Got news for you Raider Nation honorable members, Leach is not coming back and is history. Put that in your Red & Black pipe and understand that Leach is suing Tech for millions while he blew his multi-million contract by being both arrogant and insubordinate. Yes, Coach Almighty, even though you won some games here you do not own the university or call the Chancellor and cuss him out!! So Raider Nation please go away and spend your energy on supporting the new coach and the team that does the job on the field. Wreck ‘em Tech!!

Movie Reviews: “Red”, ****, This is a very good movie with a star line up you just normally don’t see. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich play retired CIA agents who all of sudden become the potential hit victim of their former employer. Karl Urban plays the part of the CIA’s hit artist who is to take them out, especially Willis. Mary-Louise Parker plays a government secretary who befriends Willis over their long distance phone conversations, driving him to the point of wanting to be with her and live a normal life. Well of course the CIA has other ideas and it becomes a very good story with lots of action. With Academy Award winners playing fun roles they really do their stuff. Helen Mirren does a great job and is fun to watch. Ernest Borgnine even has a small part to add to the star power. Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

“The Social Network”, * for the way the movie makes you feel, **** for the acting, presentation, etc. This movie is already being billed as a shoo-in by many to become one of the 10 Oscar nominees for Best Picture of 2010. The drama focuses on the evolution of Internet social site Facebook from its creation in a Harvard University dorm room in 2003 by social outcast, arrogant, computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg. It builds to over 200 million members and after this movie will probably double again. While there may be some Hollywood stuff in this presentation of Harvard in general it appeared that the students exhibited the epitome of intellectual arrogance. For me, it was a total waste of my time and I only stayed until the end so I could prepare this review. If my readers go see the movie anyway then it is on their shoulders, not mine. Oooops, will this be on my Facebook wall, page, or rest room walls or whatever?? Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.

greerman

Barney and Goober

2010-10-11T14:08:00.001-07:00

While I have been doing a lot of traveling lately I am inspired to write about a recent trip to what I call Barney and Goober land. Yes, the same Barney and Goober of Andy of Mayberry fame from the old black and white television days. You know good ole boy sheriff Andy and his trusty side kick Barney Fife. Then later they had a guy that wore this simple looking little round beanie cap and his name was Goober. Between Barney and Goober you had the simplest form of everyday life that anyone could imagine. Goober must have had an IQ of somewhere between 10-98 and Barney was smart but real emotional and straight line in his thinking. His claim to fame was the two bullets that Sheriff Andy would allow him to carry in his front breast pocket. He was allowed to put the bullets in his pistol for fear he might accidentally shoot someone by mistake. Goober on the other hand had no real speciality except to do dumb things for no real reason. Between these two guys a big day for them was to get into an argument over who won the marbles contest or who could shoot pool without chalking their stick. What sparked my memory on all of this is I recently had to fly into Florence, South Carolina to make a connection to my ultimate destination, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While my flight into Florence didn’t render any real memories of Mayberry I could feel something different about this airport. While it was called a Regional Airport I wondered what Region really meant. This was prompted by my return to Florence for my trip back and as I entered the airport at 8:00 a.m. I noticed that there was no one in the airport. There was no agent at the American Airlines or Delta counter, no rental car agents, no TSA agents that like to frisk you to see what kind of bomb you are bringing in and no kind of vendor or food area. It was like I was in a time zone where everyone was taken from Mayberry, ooops I mean Florence, and sent off to the near by Florida swamps. But they did have a row of desks, plugs for computers, and reading lamps. It again reminded me of Mayberry where the town drunk use to lock himself in the jail cell when he got plastered. It was also like I was in charge of the airport since I was the only one there. After about an hour I noticed that the guard was changing a little bit and some employees were starting to arrive. When the airlines folks strolled in I ask them what I was supposed to do and they said, nothing right then, just be cool and we will contact you when you can check in. At this stage of the game I wondered if I was going to have to guide the plane into the gate area, unload the baggage, re-fuel, and just basically take charge of this situation. Turns out people started coming out of the wood work and finally at 12:40 noon the first flight would be leaving. Now I started to take my computer apart and place it in my brief case while feeling a little better about Florence. Since my first commercial flights date back to the early sixties I guess this is the first airport I have come into that was deserted upon my morning arrival. Moral to the story is if you fly into Florence, SC don’t expect a lot out of the airport but you will enjoy their business center since it is first class, and Barney & Goober will not bother you at all.

How is that SH? Remind you of the Mid-South travel days into Greenville, and Memphis?

greerman

Six Packs, Movie Review

2010-10-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

If a person was ever going to be intimidated by the hard bodies of sport then I would suggest that they not come to the Big Island of Hawaii to spend their hard earned egg money, especially during Ironman week. This time is set aside for Ironman triathletes through out the world to converge on the island and remind it that they will conquer the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and then top a fun day off with a 26.2 mile run. No folks this is not done over a 7 day period but is done within the confines of the 17 hour maximum cutoff. In the early days they had not formal cut off and the record slowest time is owned by Walk Stack at 27 hours. Of course it is never mentioned that he drank a case of beer and ate burgers and fries during his venture. While his stories are legendary and probably have as much fiction as truth, it is amusing to hear them and be part of this endurance extravaganza. In the early days it was really a laid back affair and the original race director made the comment that this was really a bunch of crazies and she couldn’t figure out why anyone would do such a stupid thing. But it continued to grow into world wide popularity and actually started from a semi drunken discussion between some armed forces(Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard) officers and enlisted men. The discussion turned argumentative relative to who was the best athlete, the swimmer, bicyclist or runner. It was decided by the 12th beer that they would just do all three and whoever finished it would be declared an Ironman(no women allowed at the time). So, that is how it all started and now has been going on for over 30 years. The first time I competed in it I was sure I would never finish it, but just to start it and go as far as possible would be a great thing. Turned out I did finish it within the cutoff and now see why we are called an “Ironman.” What I have noticed over the years is that the athletes have become better trained and their body shape is closer to a gazelle than a man. Their upper body is shaped and molded like a big accordion and their stomaches are not identifiable since the rippled six packs gather all the attention. To add insult to injury these guys and gals have extremely heavily defined muscle groups with the blood veins popping out all over them. Since I have been doing triathlon for the past 27 years I have noticed some similarity to the gazelle bodies; however, I have also noticed that my love handles have moved more forward to the front of my body and have the joined the six packs who have really been reduced, with time, to two packs. So, I have two love handles and two six packs fighting for attention on the front of my body and it is really disturbing. If they would just settle down and enjoy each other it would be much better; however, I notice when I run that they are almost battling each other for position and this affects my running. While I am swimming and biking there is no problem since blubber floats and I am bending over on the bike squashing the dudes flat. While I know it is a noble thing to grow older and the wisdom gained is one to cherish, I just wish that these body parts would go back to their youth and not bother me. I have even gotten to the point that I will probably enlist a strength coach to take charge of these guys and show me how to exercise them back into their normal place on my body. Funny thing is that I am really not intimidated by these hard bodies as much as I don’t like to look in the mirror and see a two pack and two love handles equal a real odd couple. I have been told that there is a remedy for all of this mental pain and torture so I am sure my ego will get around to enlisting this magic muscle worker as soon as I return to the main land. I will also eat more Subway sandwiches since I know after watching their commercials that you can lose lots of weight and add more muscle while eating a 6” sub with whole wheat, turkey, ham, beef, ranch dressing, tomato, onions, peppers, with their side kick potato chips and 12 oz Coke. Yummy, I can see those six packs and love handles doing the two step as they dance off of my stomach.

For you today SH from paradise,

greerman

Movie Review: “Wall Street-Money Never Sleeps”, ****, Well you remember the original where Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, puts his “greed is good” theme to work and ends up in prison for 8 years. His only sin was he illegally manipulated the Wall Street dudes out of millions of dollars, got caught, was convicted and sent to prison. This new movie starts with his release from prison and his quest to make up for lost time. However, there are other things he wants to take care of, including being reunited with his daughter, but he also finds that Wall Street has changed a lot since spending time in the slammer. While the movie is directed by Oliver Stone I found that the previews of the movie did a great job of misleading us on how the actual movie was going to go. However, it did finally get to the vengeance and new found greed of Gekko and was supported by fine acting from Shia LaBeouf(future son in law Jake, maybe, and current Wall Street young stud), Carey Mulligan(girl friend of Jake, and daughter of Gekko), with a cameo from Charlie Sheen. While Douglas received an Oscar for the original I don’t feel this movie is strong enough for that to happen this go around. It is an entertaining movie and the photography by Oliver Stone movies are always innovative and of the highest quality.

Southwest, Movie Review

2010-10-03T03:57:00.000-07:00

The first time I flew on Southwest Airlines they had three airplanes and the flight attendants wore shorts so short and tight you wondered how they got them on and off. The pilots wore black leather jackets with a little facial hair and looked like they had just climbed off of a big black noisy Hog. The attendants were all cheerleader good looking and led Dallas Cowboy cheers before take off and immediately when the wheels hit the ground. On one trip they were doing the infamous 20 minute turn around that made them completely different from the other airlines. They could land the plane, herd the passengers off, tidy up the plane, herd new passengers on the plane, leave the gate and take off within 20 minutes. It contrast it takes American 20 minutes to just open the front door, another 20 minutes to allow you to stand up and another 20 minutes to get you on the walkway. On one of my early trips on Southwest we pulled into Houston Hobby airport, open the doors, herded the passenger off the plane, herded the new group onto the plane, backed the plane onto the run way, and oooops the plane made a u-turn back into the gate with no announcement as to what was going on. After opening the doors 4 passengers left the plane, the doors shut and then we proceeded to get the flight on the way. After reaching cruising altitude the captain came on the intercom thanking us for our patience(I love it when they do that since you really have no other choice at 30,000 feet) and that in their quest to make the 20 minute turn around they actually boarded too many passengers and had to return them to the gate. There sense of urgency got the best of them that day, and as I have watched them grow to hundreds of airplanes in their fleet I am amazed as to how they have maintained this continuity of great service and great prices. But on the other hand Southwest Airlines has completely spoiled the traveling public with low prices, great service, both on the ground and in the skies. They continue to set the pace for the airline industry and do it with a sense of humor, and great looking flight attendants. So, when you have to fly the other airlines it is really a bummer, even if the flights are free as a result of mileage points are for any other reason. Today I am flying back to Lubbock from Birmingham on American Airlines and I am longing for the comforts of the 737 Southwest jets. But more than anything I am missing the convenience they offer in flight availability in and out of Lubbock and the pricing structure that is still very good. When we checked into the counter to fly out the first thing we had to pay for was our bags, exactly $25.00 extra. What a rip off, while on Southwest there is no extra charge. When you travel it is customary to take your luggage as part of the trip. So, they gotcha coming and going on American. The tickets prices are twice as much, unless you are traveling on free tickets from mileage like we are today, and the service is questionable. Then to put a crowning blow and the prime example of not caring about the customer we landed in Dallas with a 3 hours lay over for our scheduled flight but noticed that there was a much earlier flight to Lubbock. While this flight was not available when the original reservations were made not only is it available but it will get us into Lubbock 3 hours earlier. Now for the rest of the story. We walk up to the gate counter and ask if they have two seats on this flight to Lubbock, and the answer was yes. But, now the kicker, we were told that it would be another $100.00 for us to take these two seats even though they are sitting there empty and no one is taking them. Think of it, these two lonely seats are now flying back to Lubbock with no one in them and I am sitting here in DFW writing this blog emphasizing that service is dead in the big airlines and has been for quite some time, while on the other hand the breath of fresh air in air travel is Southwest. I’ll lead the next cheer on my Southwest Flight!!

Movie Review: “The Town”, ****, Think “Gangs of New York” and you will feel the brutality that goes on in this movie. Ben Affleck is the lead actor and also doubles as the director. This is his second outing in the director role and could be the heir apparent to Clint Eastwood. He does a great job in both roles and really keeps you on the edge of your seat with the story, action and great acting. Doug MacRay played by Affleck is the unrepentant leader of a small group of ruthless bank robbers who take what they want and never look back. Then ole kind hearted Doug falls for the former hostage of one of their Turns out this part of Boston is famous for bank robber crimes, while this is not a true story it does resemble real life crime in that city. The guys who play Affleck’s partners in crime are like back up singers, they are good but you really don’t recognize them for their past acting credits. Rated R for strong violence(under statement), pervasive language(under statement), some sexuality(soft porn), and drug use.

Good day to SH, thanks for reading!!

greerman

Spelled Out, Movie Review

2010-09-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

A few times I have probably mentioned that life has become just way too complicated and everything seems to revolve around the computer, i-phone, e-mail, text-mail, twitter, twatter, facebook, in-your face, and all that garbage. That is not to mention the fax machine, which still exists, typewriter(which doesn’t exist that I know of), ball point pin, #2 pencil, and smoke signals. Well there is another method of communicating that has now become sort of complicated, it is called talking to your pets by having to spell words so as not to upset them or get them all hyper. Buffman & Squeaky have reached that mentality that is driving me nuts. While the Boston Terrier is considered to be one smart breed of dogs ole Buffman(9rs), and Squeaky(4yrs) have now exceeded that by learning the English language to such a point that we are now having to spell things out so they do not get too excited about what is fixing to happen. Case in point, if we happen to slip and say we are going some where(which doesn’t matter where, just saying GO OR GOING seems to be the key word) then they start barking, jumping, chewing, and grabbing the leash so they can GO. Then if they are not going we have to go through the explanations of why they are not going and then give them a cookie(dog bone). The bad part about this is they could be conning us to get the cookie, but on the other hand we always give them one when we leave without them. So, now we have started spelling everything. So, we can’t use the words, running, walking, going, playing, riding the motorcycle, going to town, going to a movie, without spelling it out. Right now that is working but it will not be long before they figure it out. Oh, I forgot, you can’t open the drawer where the leashes are unless you want two Boston’s licking and leaping all over your legs raving to GO!! I am thinking the next step might be sign language, but by some of the expressions on Buffs face I know he will figure that one out real quick. This dog can look at you with the most, what in the hell is this human thinking expressions I have ever seen. In the mornings he will give me his good morning look by standing on the arm of the chair over my lap, turns his head for a slight minute staring right into my eyes. He then turns his head the other way, and steps down. Like, well I have done my duty to this dude called master, and now to get on with my day of sleeping, barking, pooping, peeing, eating, and licking. On the other hand Squeaky just looks at me with a dead pain look of, “why bother?”, I am going to just do my thing, sleep, bark, poop, pee, eat and lick when I want to. For me, I will GO(spelled out) and DO(spelled out) my thing for the day wondering what challenges they have in store for me upon my return.

Movie Review: “Get Low”, *****, What a movie!! This truly an actors movie, with a great story, great set, and great acting through out. Robert Duvall sets the bar so high with his performance as 40-year hermit Felix Bush that he will be impossible to forget when Academy Award nominations arrive next year. The mystery of why bushy(you will see what I am referring to) Felix Bush became a hermit is the story, and then how the movie got its’ name Get Low will also be told. Great acting by Spacek and Bill Murray. Rated PG-13 for some thematic material and brief violent content.

2010-09-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Bad Breath, Movie Review

2010-09-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

There may be a thousand things that cause bad breath, and none of them are probably worth going into detail about. I know that dipping snuff causes bad breath, fact is one time a guy came up to me at a trade show and I immediately picked up the bad breath scent as he talked. Funny thing is as I tried to move away from him he would just keep getting closer as he talked. Finally after backing up nearly twenty feet I figured out a way to end this conversation. Alcohol, garlic, onions, and other food stuff also causes bad breath, not to mention bad oral hygiene. So, last night at the movies I was stuck beside a guy that had bad breath and no matter how much I moved around in my seat I could not prevent this stalking odor from entered my nostrils. The other bad thing is that there were no other seats available so I was really stuck. After paying $7.50 for the movie I sure didn’t want to give up the seat and miss a movie I was looking forward to seeing. The other bad thing about this particular bad breath is that it was caused from alcohol and I figured maybe the night before he hung a big one on and this breath was not only bad it was at least two days old. Now there is nothing worse than alcohol breath that is two days old. As I sit here and write this my mental power of suggestion is reviving the odor that hounded me for two hours last night during the movie. The other weird thing I noticed was that the lady next to me was just as close as the guy to the left of me and I didn’t notice her breath at all. All I noticed about her is that she seemed to make little comments or sighs all through the movie. During one sex scene(soft porn type scene) I noticed that she was very quiet and no movement at all, while the bad breath guy was omitting a steady stream of bad breath my way. I tried to discreetly cover up my nostrils so I wouldn’t have to take this in, but that didn’t work. I noticed that bad breath works in a very stealth way and no matter what, I could not offer any resistence to it penetrating my smell glands, if that is what they are called, and it was driving me crazy. The movie was good, but not so good that I had to go through this torture but I persisted to the bloody end. To take my mind off of the offensive odor I decided to come up with ways I could combat this in the future, 1. I could just get up and move to another seat if available or leave the movie and request a refund, 2. I could make sure I have breath mints or gum in my packet and offer it to the offender, 3. I could just politely explain to the offender that he/she has bad breath and I wish they would move to another seat, 4. As a defense mechanism I could go in with some real bad breath of my own and combat their bad breath with my bad breath, kind of a tit for tat type thing, or nanananana to you my friend, take my bad breath. Sounds like I have some good alternatives so I will prepare myself for the next crowded movie.

Movie Review: “The American”, *** George Clooney portrays Jack, an assassin and master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends badly(meaning he shots his girl friend in the back of the head), Jack vows to his contact(Bruce Altman) that his next assignment will be his last. He hides in the Italian countryside and relishes being apart from death for a while(even though he never verbalizes this feeling except for making love with his favorite whore). Jack does surprise his feelings by making an odd friendship with a local priest(Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues romance with his whore(beautiful Violante Placido). Of course by stepping out a little of his shadows he not only tempts fate, he suffers the consequences. To me there were some holes in the movie that stripped it of the fourth star, since it was a well done movie and Clooney is great. Rated R for violence, sexual content(you mean the soft porn nude sexual scene, that was awesome!) and nudity.

Hotter 'N Hell or Bicycle Heaven

2010-09-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I get to have all the fun, now I am in Wichita Falls, Texas for the Hotter ‘N Hell bicycle event. My mission here is to show off the Athletes Honey Milk and ride the 50 mile course. This event is to Wichita Falls and bicycle riders what Sturgis, SD is to motorcycle riders. Over 14,000 bicycle riders converge on the city starting about Wednesday prior to the event on Saturday. While this is not truly a race or a tour, it is better described as a spectacle. While there are some very competitive riders they only represent about 1% of total number. Some of the “other” riders will actually buy a bike the week before and then become riders who choose to ride 25, 50, 100K(62.5) or 100 miles. Some 29 years ago some one had the bright idea to have a bicycle event in this small city(90,000) and since the temperature this time of year is “Hotter ‘N Hell” they thought it would be smart to name it just that. So, over the years it has grown in stature and reputation. There have been years when the temperature was so high they had to cancel some of the mileage just make sure everyone finished without injury. This will be my fourth time to do the event and I will venture out on the roads to do the 50 mile distance. The temperature this year has been in the high 60’s early in the morning while rising to the mid 90’s by noon. I mentioned to someone yesterday that if the cool early mornings keep up they will have to change he name of the event to “Cooler Than Thou” or something like that. At any rate this is a well run event, well backed by the city and its’ citizens. Wichita Falls feels like it is in another state instead of Texas. While it has oil, cowboys, a small university and an Air Force base it just seems to have a different feel than Texas. Fact is I keep thinking we are in another time zone, but no we are really CDT and this is really Texas. Since the hotel rooms sell out a year in advance we decided to try the RV camping thing and rented a 26’ RV that could sleep 6 people. We hope that is not the count since it is beginning to close in on us now, and it feels like it must feel to travel in a submarine. Everything seems to be in the way from one end to the other or just to go to the rest room. I have bumped my head numerous times and worry about the sewer tank filling up and over flowing. So far so good and maybe this might be a good idea for the future. We had to come on Wednesday since the RV spaces close to the event center for the expo, and race start was a first come, first serve basis. When we got here there were only 4 other RV’s, now there are 200. Since it is really not an RV camp ground the trailers are parked very close together and it really feels like an RV ghetto. But it is within walking distance of everything that goes on with the event and is probably a good thing. The tell tale story will come when we have to hook up the pickup to the trailer again to head back. But RV’ers have a way of paying attention to their neighbors needs and I am sure they will come to our rescue.

Now for the ride report. I mentioned above that we were doing the 50 miler but as the testestorone started to build after seeing all of the riders and the new equipment we switched to the 100K(62 miles). They allow you to do this after you start the course, since the entry fee is the same for all. My fellow rider John Harris was trying to sell me on the 100 miler with the bribe that they gave out brockwurst and free beer at mile 87 so we needed to up the ante and go the ultimate distance. Of course I was tempted and we had to make the decision at mile 50. We were both feeling good, the weather was excellent, and I must say it was tempting. The brockwurst and beer was sounding better by the minute; however, I wasn’t too sure on how I would feel after stopping to partake and then riding another 13 miles. So, I convinced John that we could get brockwurst and beer after we finished the 100K and even enjoy it. He finally agreed and we moved on towards the finish line. We were able to finish with a 3:30 hour time frame and felt good doing it. Now for the beer and brockwurst!! We also received some Athletes Honey Milk from the finish line expo and proceeded to begin our recovery of tired legs and sore butt.

Since we were RV’ing it added a second dimension to the trip, since usually it involves a hotel room and then head on back after loading the bikes and suitcases. But when you RV anywhere it is as much about setting up and tearing down as it is anything else. There are certain things you have to do in setting up that make the rest of your trip more comfortable, such as the awning. Put the awning up and then you have a nice shaded area to sit and talk pre and post race information. You must also hook up the water, electricity, and sewer properly or you really have a problem. These are things we take for granted in the hotel rooms, but you can‘t do that in an RV. We also learned what to do when the shower water tank(different than the sewer tank) reserve decides to over flow. This is called “gray water” and is really the old shower and dishwasher waste water. We learned that you can drain this water out on the ground if you do it very discreetly, meaning you wait until after dark. Seems as though this is a practice done by all of the experienced RV’ers, so we pitched in to do our share of sharing the used “gray” water. On the sewer side we had no problem and after arriving back in Lubbock we searched out a “RV Sewer Dump” and after going to the faithful know it all, “google” we located a dump at the Chishom Truck stop. After asking everyone where the dump was located we pulled up to it to learn that there was a sign on it that said, yep you guess it, “RV Sewer Dump!” The odd thing about it is that it is just a innocent plastic pipe running straight down with the hole left open for you to put your drainage hose it and without much fanfare it takes the bad smelling stuff with open arms. The other way we were able to determine it was the sewer dump is the always offensive odor coming from the eagerly awaiting sewer pipe. This little chore only took about 10 minute and we were rid our our waste and off to do the final clean up and return to the RV to its rightful owner. My conclusions for this adventure is that you really don’t rent or buy these things to save money, because you don’t, you rent them to have some kind of 26’ highway submarine to play with and see if you can overcome the little challenges they throw out to you during the trip. One good thing is that we were able to park it so close to the event activities that we were able to walk back and forth to the events. This was nice since all of the hotels you would stay in were not of walking distance. So, put a big triple plus up for the RV ghetto. Possibly this will be done again in 2011; however, that Courtyard by Marriott sure did look good as we passed by it.

greerman

Hog Heaven, Movie Review

2010-09-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

The Jewish have Yom Kippur, the Islam's have Mecca, the Christians have the Passover and Hog riders have Sturgis, South Dakota. Fact is every second weekend of August over 700,000 faithful riders, some 1 per centers (the original bad guys) and lots of pretenders make the trek, one way or the other. Not only that this has been going on for the past 70 years, and looks solid for another 70 at least. So, I did the Hog thing and headed out North to the Black Hills and over 2,000 miles of riding that noisy beast. Since the ride is what it is supposed to be about, I made sure I got in nearly 500 miles a day and then glided into Sturgis easily on the second day. Along the way I stopped at some small towns and in one I actually got a great motel room for $40.00. The lady who checked me in was very old (about my age I am sure) and she was apologetic that she had to charge me tax and made the bill a whopping $43.00. Little did she know that I would be paying $144.00 the next night in Chadron, Nebraska. Since this is my fourth trip to the Black Hills I was beginning to feel like a veteran until I met a lady who was making her 16th straight trip. Seems as though no matter what our story is on any given subject someone else can always top it. Regardless I can say I ride the Hog hard and fast, have dirt under my finger nails plus at least three days of beard, and my hair is matted from the wind and helmet. I also am proud to have that motorcycle engine odor about me and maybe a little gasoline scent to cover up that Aqua Velva. This is all part of the mystique in riding these two wheel demons and just simply makes you feel free as a breeze and in charge of the landscape.

On the way up I was stopped by a construction flagman and told it would be about 20 minutes before the escort truck could take me through. So, I turned off the engine and was waiting patiently when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw 5 riders pulling up behind me. They were also dressed in the same kind of gear, looking kind of like the Jackson five, and after they got close to me I recognized the Banditos branded apparel. While these guys were not quite as well known as the Hell’s Angels, they were at one time considered in the one per-center category of bad ass motorcycle riders. Since they were parked behind me while waiting I turned around and spoke to them and recognized them as being from Lubbock. While we made a little small talk it was not what I would call a conversation or that we would become best friends, since gang members like this view a lone rider somewhere in the category of training wheels for their Hog or a flat tire, so it was silent until we started to move again. While we were behind the escort vehicle the Banditos were content to stay behind me but once we were out of the control of the escort these bad guys came around me in unison. Since I was now going 75 they had to be be going at least 85. Funny thing is they made a big statement about passing me, with the loud pipes blasting at me and then swerving in front of me to make this, we are the Kings statement. Then about 90 miles later I saw them in a gas station filling up. They then did the same passing game when they caught me. This went on for the next 600 miles, they catch me, pass me then have to stop to rest, I pass them, then they go hell bent for leather to catch me and pass me. Maybe they were auditioning me for membership in the club or something of that nature. While in Sturgis I never saw them again; however, it is not hard to lose someone with 700,000 other motorcycles around. Funny how the motorcycle brings out the kid in all of us, reminded me of shooting marbles when I was 10 years old.

One thing a person really has to be careful about is not laying the Hog down when you get around all the other riders. The reason is because the testosterone is so deep that you don’t stand a chance of staying up if you are not careful. Something about these machines really brings out the manhood thing in the men who ride them. One thing I can say is that within a 400 mile radius the motorcycle rider is King and is well accepted by the locals and the money that we spend while there is very much appreciated. In the Black hills of South Dakota the rally is a tremendous economic impact to this area. On the way back to Texas I noticed a lot of welcome signs and even though I hit heavy rain storms in the Panhandle of Texas it was a very enjoyable trip and the ride was great.

Movie Review: “Switch”, ***, Always good to look at Jennifer Aniston stars in an offbeat comedy as Kassie, a smart, fun-loving single woman who, despite the objections of slightly neurotic friend Wally(played by Jason Bateman), decides she does not need a husband to have a baby of her own. Seven years later, Kassie discovers that her plans may have gone awry as Wally becomes acquainted with Kassie’s slightly neurotic son. A well done movie and in reality Aniston is catching some flak from different do good groups who say she is saying you don’t need to be married to have kids. This is not a message or cause movie, just a form of fiction romantic comedy with a new twist. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual material including dialogue, some nudity, drug use and language.

greerman

Computer BS, movie reviews

2010-08-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I wrote an article for this blog site that decided to go into cyber space as I was trying to post it. Since I didn’t get it saved properly all of my hard earned creative work was like, pooof!! gone with the wind. In the early days of using my old Royal manual typewriter nothing like this could possible happen. I had complete control of that baby and it only responded when I hit the keys. Then when the electric came out it was easy to manipulate to; however, I was dependent on the making sure the electric bill was paid so I would have power to make it work. Speed wasn’t a big deal since I had typed over 80 words per minute on the manual and about the same on the electric. It almost became a competitive game to me to see just how fast I could type. Now I apply this same speed to the computer and it seems to get pissed off because I am really a typer, not a hunt and pecker. So, my distaste for the computer and the computer world continues on and in the end we have a stand off, it can send my creative writing into cyber space when it wants to or I can simply hit the button that turns the friggin thing OFF!!! Yes, off and blackness on the screen. Then when I want to exercise my control I just turn it back ON!! Yesterday was a real frustrating thing for me and really made me lose it, so I resolve not to let that happen again and I will always understand that I am in control not the multi-billion computer companies that perpetuate their industry by making everything obsolete every six months so you have to go out and buy something new. I am so glad that Bill Gates can give so much to charity and that he gets a big write off since he is now down to his last $45 billion. Poor guy, maybe I need to send him a vienna sausage to munch on while he counts his cash. So, in the future I resolve to be more careful in saving my material and not lose my cool in the process.

Movie Reviews: “The Other Guys”, **, The most unlikely team of New York detectives would be Will Ferrell, and Mark Wahlberg, but they are teamed up for this movie. It is obviously a comedy, of sorts, and puts them together to fight crime and their own in abilities to be hero cops. Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson have almost cameo roles as the “hero” cops. None of this makes much sense and is 60% entertaining. Don’t spend top fee on it, but enjoy the matinee price or DVD. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.

“Dinner for Schmucks”, ***, This is a funny movie and a good story line staring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. While Rudd plays a role of a corporate suit trying to move up Steve Carell plays the role of a schmuck. The schmucks are actually people that the corporate suites invite to a dinner once a month, just so they can make fun of them. Carell’s character actually stuffs dead mice and dresses them up to fit certain characters he has met in life. So, he is invited to dinner and actually makes all the suites look much more stupid than the schmucks. A well done movie and enjoyable. Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual references, and intense accident scene and some sensuality.

“Inception”, ***, A well done movie but not the five star the local critic gave it. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character deals in the deep thoughts and actions of the subconscious mind and its’ influence over our dreams. The plot is to manipulate the subconscious mind of an executive who is going to replace his father when he dies(is now on his death bed). This movie is deep and confusing at times, since he goes back and forth from reality to dreams. Will probably be nominated during the annual Oscar awards. Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

“Salt”, ****, This is a great suspense, action movie starring always nice to look at, Angelina Jolie as an agent for the CIA, or is she? Go see, it will keep you on the edge of your seat, plus one of the best chase scenes I have seen. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.

“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, ***, Nicolas Cage plays Balthazar Blake, a centuries old sorcerer in modern day Manhattan. He recruits a modern day dweeb as a reluctant protege to break a spell upon fellow sorcerer’s. Well done movie and entertaining. Rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.

Now off to Sturgis, SD on the Hog for a few days,

greerman

Psychic Income, Movie Reviews

2010-07-11T09:12:00.001-07:00

Over the past 21 years it has been my pleasure, most of the time, to be in the business of race directing triathlons. This experience has been both rewarding and challenging, to say the least. The highs are way into the clouds while the lows are below the surface of the West Texas sandstone. So, as I sit back and reflect on the 21st year of the Buffalo Springs Ironman 70.3 I still wonder what the attraction is to do this and why when it feels good, it feels real good. So good in fact it is almost like sex or riding the Hog, two of the most enjoyable things I can think of. When you spend the time preparing for the event starting one year out, then the last week before the event comes up and the unexpected happens. Now this is stuff that you can’t plan for so you have to shoot from the hip to get it done. Such things as weather, illness or injury to key volunteers, problems with the venue, unhappy athletes for one reason or the other, faulty equipment, etc., etc. So, you dig down deep and make it happen. You actually make it happen so well the athletes never know there was a problem of any kind. I have always said that the key to putting on a successful event is to have things happen behind the scenes that could put a negative on the event but proper correction is done so smoothly that the athletes are not aware of it. My goal has always been to put on a race that all the athlete has to worry about is racing. If he or she has to worry about anything going on with the venue then I have not done my job properly. Then the proof in the pudding is when the event comes to the last racer crossing the finish line and the remark, “great race!!” comes out of their mouth. That is what I call psychic income and I am convinced, after talking to many race directors, that is what keeps all of us in the race directing business. When the racers come up to you and tell you what a great race you have just directed is there is no better feeling. Then the e-mails start coming in about how great the race is, etc. Even when you get the one sore head who thought the down hill on Spiral Staircase was too dangerous, you still just sit back and say,”I love this sport and aren’t downhills part of riding a bicycle?” It was even suggested at one time that maybe we should take that downhill out of the race course, and my reply was simply, “over my dead body.” I have ridden this down hill for over 20 years and have never come close to going down and I tell the racers to be careful and respectful of it or it might get the best of you. If they don’t listen then they may go down, so when you are in my pre-race meeting please listen and ride the course with a good attitude and common sense. On the same token I will have people tell me they love the challenge of the hills, especially Spiral Staircase, and they look forward to doing the race each year. This again puts large tokens of psychic income in the cash drawer of the mind, and prompts me to come back and do it again and again. Fact is, planning is going on for 2012 right now as we speak. Thanks to all my readers out there who might also be competitors in the annual Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 and if you are not, please take a ride to Lubbock and compete next year.

Movie Reviews:

“The A Team”, ***, Not a bad action movie headed up by Llam Neeson as Hannibal the very smart and cunning leader of some apparent misfits but in the end real action heroes. These guys are Special Forces type guys who get booted out of the service on drummed up charges then decide to make it right by blowing all the bad guys up. Some funny stuff also happens and the “right stuff” good guys win in the end. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence throughout, language and smoking(stogies actually).

“Grown Ups”, ***, Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider and David Spade co-star in the comedy about five friends and former teammates who reunite years later to honor the passing of their childhood basketball coach. Now with wives and kids this makes for a very funny movie. Rated PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language and some male rear nudity.

“Killers”, *, While I hate to agree with the local critic, it is not a real good movie. Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigi meet in France by mistake, he a contract killer, she an everyday tourist. Some how they get involved and he decides to leave the contract killer business, and she goes goggle eyes with him. Tom Selleck and Catherine O’Hara are supporting characters and they don’t make much sense either. Rated PG-13 for violent action, sexual material and language.

“Knight and Day”, ***, In this case I really disagree with the local critic. This movie stars Tom Cruise, and Cameron Diaz, he a rogue government agent, she is a business person traveling on the same plane. The fire works begin during the flight and then it is an endless parade of action and some great chase scenes. Of course good wins over evil and you have just seen an enjoyable movie. Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence throughout, and brief strong language.

“Twilight Saga: Eclipse”, ***, To me this was a very boring movie, but well done and for those who like Vampire, Werewolf love stories it is a must. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality.

greerman

Retail service sucks, Movie Reviews

2010-06-06T10:40:00.001-07:00

Maybe I have mentioned this before but here goes again, SERVICE in retail stores now really sucks. While tooling down the loop the other day my left front tire on my pick up blew out, at about 70 mph. The good news is that while I lost over half of the tread the wire mesh that is under the treads was able to hold the tire together enough that it held air and I could drive it about 30 mph. So, I pulled into the closest new tire replacement center and tell the guy I want 4 new tires for my pickup. Now this tire store has been in business in Lubbock since 1937 so I am assuming that they do their thing very good, and have for a long time. Turns out that when I went in the one guy that was behind the desk acted like it was an inconvenience for me to be there and he really didn’t have much time to deal with me. Ordinarily I would make an about face and go somewhere else, but as I mentioned my tire blew out (I also emphasized this with him, again), so I was stuck with him and his place of business. After I nearly pried him off of his dead butt to walk 3 feet to the counter to wait on me he gave me the price, installed and I said okay do it. After paying for the tires he then tells me that he doesn’t have anyone in the shop to install them and I would have to go across town to their other store to get them installed. Did I mention here that I had a blow out??? So, I figured out the best route to get to his other store and I walk in with my receipts you would think I was completely camouflaged since there was no recognition of my entrance. Two of the guy were working their I phones and the other one was ignoring me. When I finally got their attention I am told that it may be an hour and a half before they can get to it, then another 45 minutes to complete it. Now the original guy told me 30 minutes, total. When I told the new guy this he got very belligerent, and said it wouldn’t happen in 30 minutes. He then proceeded to tell me he didn’t care what the other guy promised me, that what he said was the final word. Now, I am getting steamed and I advise him that I really don’t like the way this tire installation is going and that I have my receipt and promises but see nothing happening. He then says, “well where are your new tires? Didn’t you bring them with you he asks?” I then reply that I was not told I had to bring them with me from the other store and I really wasn’t in the tire delivery business. And these guys have been in business one year longer than my age, bet they didn’t build their business on this kind of service. Finally he agreed to get it done as soon as possible but he was really pissed about it. So, I take my seat in the dusting, dirty, rodent infected waiting room, pick up a book about junk automobiles, naked women, and the best tattoo artists in the city. About that time a fellow customer of this place comes in and sits down beside me with his dirty white tank top and body art from each wrist all over his arms, top part of his chest and who knows what below the waste. After looking at his body art I look at my one lonely piece of work on my left arm and wonder how he took the pain I know is associated with kind of application, especially on the inside of the arms. After wondering for a few minutes I just had to ask him, “hey dude just out of curiosity how did you take the pain associated with the application of those body arts?” I showed him mine and told him it hurt like hell and having it done all over my arms would have been like some kind of Chinese torture. He said it took him over 8 hours to get them done and he actually went to sleep while the artist was going their thing. Amazing I thought but then the real kicker came out of his mouth, he said, “I actually had just got out of 12 years being in prison so anything I did felt better than being in the slammer.” Funny the kind of people you meet in a sleazy tire shop with lousy service. After a few more minutes the guy comes into the waiting room and says, “your truck is ready and I am not going to charge you any extra.” I look at him and grin wondering what would I be charged extra for? But I just said, “thanks”, got me keys and peeled out my new rubber as I left his place. WARNING: If you are ever in Lubbock, Texas and have need of new tires DO NOT go to York Tire Company Inc., I don’t care if they have been in business since 1937. They suck!!

Movie Review: “Prince of Persia”, **, This movie is just above the old Grade B movie recognition with some good acting by Jake Gyllenhall, and Sir Ben Kingsley. The princess played by Gemma Aterton is very fitting to provide a good looking woman for all the men to lust after. Gyllenhall plays a poor urchin orphan that is adopted by a King and treated as his own, so he is privileged with good upbringing and position but really remains a street fighter and un- disciplined adopted prince. The story revolves around the princess’s quest for a magical dagger that can actually turn back time. So, the fight is on so see who can come up with this dagger. Somewhat boring, but does have some deceit action scenes. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.

“Sex and The City 2”, ***, Since I had never watched any of the previous TV or the movie concerning S & S I really did not know what to expect. But now that the four ladies who play the lead parts are grown up and mature I probably enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. Sarah Jessica Parker is back as Carrie (now married), Kim Cattrall is back as the successful slut Samantha and she does her sexual stuff with two great soft porno scenes and gets the other three in trouble while in Abu Dhabi. Kristin Davis plays Charlotte, and Cynthia Nixon plays Miranda. A massive gay wedding gets starts the movie with Carrie being the best man/woman. With some side stories concerning each of the four best friends and then the top story concerning their trip to exotic Dhabi keeps you interested. It is definitely a girlie movie but was interesting to me since I had never watched any of them in the past. Rated R for some strong sexual content (you mean when Samantha is laying naked with a naked man in between her and there are simulating sexual intercourse in two different scenes?) Soft porn all the way and language.

greerman

Camouflage, Book Reviews, Movie Reviews

2010-05-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

Camouflage is the art of disguising something so you can’t see it, or you look in the direction it is located in and it doesn’t appear to be there. The military, especially the Army has this art down to a science. When I was a 2nd Lt. platoon leader while on active duty I was told by my commanding officer to take my platoon, including 37 men, two tanks, two recon vehicles, and one armored personnel carrier and camouflage it so he couldn’t see it. So, me being 24 years of age and eager to please my commander I told my non-commissioned officers what the CO has ask me to do. These guys were combat veterans with many years experience hiding their position from the enemy. After we got the platoon into the combat camouflaged position the CO headed our way and then came on the radio with something like this: “Romeo 16 this is Romeo 6, what is your position?” I replied, “Romeo 6 this is Romeo 16, look straight ahead and you will find our location.” A few minutes passed(in my camouflaged position I could see the CO with his binoculars out trying to find us, so I knew we had done our job very well) and he still couldn’t see us. Our position was in real green foliage and until the leaves turned brown from winter we were likely to stay hidden until the seasons did change. He then got real pissed and said, “Romero 16 this is Romero 6, where in the hell are you?” My reply, “Romeo 6 this is Romeo 16, you are looking straight at us but for us to make any movement we will reveal ourselves to our enemy and we can’t do that.” Now he was double pissed and I wondered what the hell I was thinking. This guy was a seasoned Captain and a ring knocker from West Point, while I was a lowly 2nd Lt. from some ROTC program in Texas and what did I know? What I did start to consider was he would get so mad that he might relieve me of my command and send me to the brig for insubordination. While I was just having a little fun with him he was shining his Captain bars to the point of them not having a shine left and I could see my butter bar Lt. bars turning to real butter as they melted off of my collar and I was now a much lower private. Maybe this was a little extreme, but this guy was a career guy and I was just in for the mandatory 2 year active duty hitch(little did I know that I would continue in the active reserves for another 22 years and then retire as a Lt. Colonel, actually out ranking this guy). But wait a minute I have started to ramble, I must get back to the story. Now I have to figure out how to get out of this quagmire brought on by doing my job better than he thought I could and making him feel I was his top platoon leader. So, I decided to have my tank gunner move the main gun of the tank just a little bit and see if they could pick up on this. Turns out the Captain did see it and now he was a happy camper knowing exactly where I was, but also knowing that the thoroughness of my camouflage job and had come out with very high. While I didn’t get promoted right there on the spot he was shaking my hand later that night around the officers’ club bar!! He even bought me a beer!! What a guy!! Now as I look around me some 40 plus years later I see camouflage stuff everywhere. The other day I went into Ganders to buy some hand held radios, lo and behold they are camouflaged and as I looked around the store I had trouble finding the sales clerks because they had on camouflaged jackets and pants. They just blended in to the point that I thought they might be manikins. Finally I found someone moving around the store and realized I had a real live person. My memory went back to the day my Captain couldn’t find me and now here I am in a retail store and I can’t find the sales person because of their camouflaged outfit. The simple conclusion here is that, sometimes things are just not what they appear to be!! Duh!!

Book Review, Past and Current: “Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People” ****, written by Elizabeth Brown and possibly reviewed by me before. Regardless, I have found it an interesting book and one that can be reviewed, especially after having to deal with “screwed up people” in my daily life. Guess this happens to all of us and Ms. Brown has some interesting observations.

“Unplayable” ****, written by Robert Lusetich. This is the story of the 2009 golf season as experienced by Tiger Woods. It is not a tell all or one that dwells on his off the golf course problems, even though it is mentioned infrequently. Lusetich has been writing about Tiger since he came on the tour as a professional and is very fair with him. He has no axe to grind and is very fair in his assessment and is very thorough about his comeback season of 2009, also billed as an inside account of Tiger’s most tumultuous season. Whether you like golf, or Tiger you will find this a good read about the subject. It will not move mountains, and tall buildings, or even change the world, but it is interesting.

Movie Review: “Ironman 2”, ****, this is a very good movie starting where it left off with Ironman 1 in 2008. Robert Downey Jr. remains fun to watch both as cocky billionaire Tony Stark and Iron Man. The big difference now is that he announced to the world that he is Ironman and now he is expected to save the world by signing over the rights of Ironman to the government defense program. Can you imagine how screwed up it would be with the government in charge of it. In addition there is a true villain in tattooed Russian physicist Ivan Vanko, played by Mickey Rourke. Samuel L. Jackson is back with a small but effective role, and Gwyneth Paltrow is back to be promoted to CEO of Stark Industries. Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language.

“Robin Hood”, ****, this is also a very good movie, very entertaining and gives us the prequel to Robin Hoods’ life before he became the folk hero of Sherwood Forest and Nottingham. The acting is beyond reproach with Russell Crowe, Kate Blanchett, and William Hurt. The photography of the battle scenes was excellent, very realistic. Rated: PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content.

greerman

No time, Book Reviews, Movie Reviews

2010-05-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

Well it is about time I got back to this blogging thing and it is not like I haven’t had anything to say, it is just that the time has gotten away from me and I have that age old excuse, just too busy. My too busy excuse is a good one but along the way I have missed out on sharing some big items in life. For example, I went to Home Depot the other day to shop for a new lawn mower and when I went into the yard care department I ask the guy if he could help me (fair question I thought!). He looked at me kind of strange and then said, “just a minute I am helping a customer.” Well bub, what do you think I am fried minced meat? I went ahead and waited for help and then lo and behold I bought the mower in spite of just being another platter of fried minced meat. Retail sales people just don’t get it sometimes. Without the steady flow of customers into their stores they would not be in business, so how about appreciating us a little bit. Then I had the excuse of helping host the USA Triathlon National Collegiate Championship, held for the second year in a row in Lubbock. This event is really kind of weird since it brings college triathletes from over 100 universities/colleges throughout the USA to compete for the title of National Champions. Not quite like the collegiate major sports playoffs or bowl games, but still a very competitive group of college athletes. The event went off well except for some very bad weather with rain for 5 days, high winds and cold temperatures. In spite of that the event went off as planned and we had a new National Champion team from the University of Colorado, while the defending champions from the Naval Academy came in third. Lubbock did a great job of hosting the event and could not be held responsible for the weather, God did that!! The other thing that is taking my time is the marketing work I am doing for Athletes Honey Milk, ever try getting the suppliers to milk 200,000 dairy cows and then chase down some honey bees for the sweetness that goes in Athletes Honey Milk? Not an easy task I can tell you. I was asked how we milk honey bees (cows are easy) and my reply is simple, very carefully. My promise now is to get a post at least once a week; I have too much to say to not be typing.

Book Reviews: “Vampire Hunter”, ****, the story (true from his journals) about Abraham Lincoln (yes the 16th president of the United States) and his vampire hunter days. Whether you believe it or not a very well done book by Seth Grahame-Smith. If for no other reason read it out of curiosity, I did.

“The Stuff of Thought”, **, written by Steven Pinker to give us a little idea of why the thoughts of our mind work the way they do. Very intellectual and confusing, hard to follow, hard to concentrate. Probably a pass on this book is my recommendation.

“Murder City”, ****, A true story of the “killing fields” of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This was recommended to me by my good friend, Mark Balsiger, since he lived very close to this danger every day in his past work. A very sad true story of the many murders that transpire in this border city next to El Paso, Texas, almost every day of the week. More have been murdered in the last year than the total deaths of the Iraqi war. If the USA doesn’t have enough to do with the wars in the Iraq and Afghan maybe we need to invade Mexico and clean this place up, after all it is on our borders.

Movie Reviews: “Date Night”, ***, Tina Frey and Steve Carell play a typical suburban couple whose lives have become routine. To reignite their marital spark, they visit a trendy Manhattan bistro. But when they claim a missing couple’s reservation, a case of mistaken identity turns their evening into a horror and humorous story. A good one to go see and relax a little bit. Rated PG-13 for sexual and crude content throughout, language, some violence and a drug reference. (Not really as bad as it sounds in this description).

“Kick-Ass”, ***, A well done cute movie about new action heroes. Chloe Grace Moretz plays Hit Girl the 11 year old crime fighter Mindy, with affection for butterfly blades and aiming kill shots into the head. While Kick Ass is really the star of the movie Hit Girl actually takes the spot light. The story line is guided by Hit Girls father, played by Nicolas Cage, and it involves sweet revenge on the mafia types who have betrayed him in the past. Rest assured the action heroes get their man, after much battle and bloodshed. Entertaining movie and the sequel will be great. Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and drug use, some involving children. WOW—I didn’t realize it was all that bad, but guess it was.

greerman

This blog has moved

2010-04-27T07:19:00.001-07:00

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Why is it(continued?), Movie Review(ugh!!)

2010-03-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Why is it (continued)? _When two dogs, one small and one large, chase me while I am riding the bicycle, why is it the little dog bites me and the large dog just barks? Is this where the saying, “his bark is much bigger than his bite” came from? _Why is it when I ride the bicycle the wind is always in my face? Could this be why they call it a “head wind?” _Why is it when I turn my left signal light on while driving and then I turn right, people look at me strange? Could it be they just don’t get creative people and it confuses them? _ Why is it that when I was driving on the highway today and the Texas state trooper was on the other side of the four lane Interstate I felt secure, even though I was speeding. Could it be he couldn’t make a U turn or did he have his radar turned off or maybe he was taking a nap or maybe he just didn’t care at that point or possibly his radar was out of order or maybe he wears glasses and didn’t have them on?_ Why is it that it seems as though everyone is dying, every time I open the arbitrary page of the newspaper it has nothing but death notices in it?_Why is it everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die to get there? Could it be they might be afraid of going straight to hell, not passing go and not collecting $200.00?_Why is it we don’t have to lick stamps anymore? Could it be that the glue was actually toxic and all the people in the arbitrary pages use to lick more than their share of stamps, and just died?_Why is it when I go to a restaurant and order water to drink they still ask me what I want to drink? Seems clear to me, I am drinking water for my drink. Then I find that to get a refill of water, when water is my drink, it is much harder than if say I was drinking a margarita. The way they pounce on you to order another one you would think the world is running out of tequila._Why is it when I am riding my big black Hog with all kinds of noise and poise, men stare at me? Is it possibly a gay thing and I don’t realize it, or is it just outright unadulterated jealousy? It really doesn’t matter to me but I hate for them to waste time looking at me when they could be scoping the good looking women!

Movie Review: “Repo Men”, 0 no star here, This is one of the most gross movies I have even seen. Such a waste of good acting talent in Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. It is way into the future, year not given, and people can buy artificial hearts, pancreas, and livers; however, the cost is over $600,000.00 and they can finance them. The big kicker is that if they get 90 days behind in their payments the repo men will come cut the parts out of the body and leave them to die. It is the bloodiest movie I have seen in some time, maybe even the bloodiest of all. It is a very depressing stupid movie and the producers tried to redeem themselves with a reasonably happy ending, I think. Go at your own risk and do not pay full fare. Rated PG-13 for strong bloody violence, grisly images, language and some sexuality/nudity.
greerman

Why Is It? Book Review, Movie Reviews

2010-03-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

Why is it: 1. when I walk up to a place of business and they have two entrance doors, one is always locked and I pick that one to enter the store? Why not just leave both unlocked? 2. When I walk up to these two doors and there is a sign pointing to the unlocked door and I always pull or push on the locked door? 3. When I walk up to the same set of doors and it says, “pull” I always “push?” or When I walk up to the same set of doors and it says, “push” I always, “pull?” 4. When I have to pee real badly I hit all of the red lights in town? 5. When I have to pee real badly and I go to a public rest room there is someone in the rest room taking what seems like 30 minutes to get out of there? 5. When I am in a hurry to get somewhere I pick the roads that are being worked on? 6. When I am on these same roads the traffic is worse than ever and the turn lanes are to the left and I need to go right. 7. When I fill up the Explorer with gasoline and sit in inside to get in out of the cold the automatic release doesn’t work and gasoline fills the streets? 8. When I order jalapeno peppers at Col Sanders they are out? 9. When I go into the post office to send a package there is a big line in addition there are people sending at least 100 packages each. 10. When I go into the post office to get my passport done they are out of forms? 11. When I go into to have buy license plates for my automobiles I forget the insurance form? 12. When I go to the grocery store I can’t find what I am looking for and then the person I ask can’t find it either? 13. When I get caught speeding I never have an emergency excuse when the officer asks me, “do you have an emergency?” 14. When I get ready to mow the yard, someone has stolen my lawn mower? 15. When I get ready to edge the grass after buying a new lawnmower someone has stolen my edger? 16. When I work a trade show people always ask if I am having fun? 17. When I work a trade show my feet always hurt so badly I feel like I have been standing on concrete all day, which I have? 18. When Christmas approaches everyone ask, “Are you going to have a big Christmas?” 19. When Christmas is over everyone asks, “Did you have a big Christmas?” 20. When it rains the cattle feed lots smell worse than other times plus the odor blows in my direction no matter which way I am going? Enough for today, now back to my George Carlin book. He is my hero of sarcasm, too bad he decided to die.

Book Review: “Getting Naked”, ****, No this is not a porno book and is really a straight forward business fable. Written by Patrick Lencioni, it is a true story about shedding the three fears that sabotage client loyalty in the consulting business world. Has great application in any business atmosphere and really has to do with, “being yourself!” Nothing wrong with that and it is a great story about being honest with yourself and other people. One noted person, the author of The One Minute Manager said: “Put your feet up, check your ego at the door, and read Getting Naked. It’s such an enjoyable read, you may finish the book in one sitting, but you will remember its message forever.”

Movie Reviews: “Alice In Wonderland,” ***, Johnny Depp plays the part of the mad hatter while Mia Wasikowski portrays the 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl. Well done movie with great color and imagination in the supporting characters. One for the kids for sure. Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar (WOW, I don’t remember all that violence, but do remember the smoking caterpillar).

“The Bounty Hunter,” ** overall rating, but ***** for having to watch Jennifer Aniston in nearly every scene. This is basically a very boring movie and really wastes some good actors. Gerald Butler, current gruffly looking heart throb, plays a disgraced policeman turned bounty hunter. His next bail-jumping client is his ex-wife, Aniston, and the story goes from there to the bitter end, which is very predictable. Don’t spend prime time fare on this one. Rated PG for sexual content including suggestive comments, language and some violence (you mean when he locks poor Jennifer up in the trunk of the car?)

“She’s Out of My League,” *** overall rating, but ***** for having to watch Alice Eve as Molly, (WOW, you talk about easy to look at, even brings out some lust thoughts!!). Jay Baruchel stars as an average, everyday guy who cannot believe his good luck. While stuck in a seemingly dead end job as an airport security agent (TSA), he meets Molly, a successful and outrageously gorgeous woman—and she falls for him. He is stunned. So are his friends (funny conversations between his group in weird airport scenes make the movie worthwhile), his family (very dysfunctional bunch, but puts some good rough edge comedy in the movie), and even his ex-girlfriend. Rated R for language and sexual contact.

greerman

Vultures, Movie Review

2010-03-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

Someone once said, possibly God, that everything has its reason and place for being on or in this world. But for the life of me I don’t know why the gross looking vulture /buzzard has a place or right to be anywhere. While traveling to the first triathlon of the season some 300 miles from home I noticed some vultures in the middle of the road feasting on recent road kill. While it looked like an innocent deer I am not too sure what it was. But what I did notice, and I have watched them closer while on the bicycle, as I sped by at 70 mph these so-called birds were extremely ugly and worthless looking. But what should I expect from a bird that is called “vulture” to look any different. After all they live off of the dead and would have to be considered the extremely homeless of the animal world. They wait till some innocent animal is struck dead by something and then they come into to feast off of them. As you look at them real close you will find they are really butt ugly, are sparsely covered with feathers, usually look like dirt/mud warmed over and have a shiftless look on their face. One thing they can do is fly fast enough to get out of the way of the moving vehicle and very seldom fly into your windshield so you got to give them credit for that. Then I know if we did a breath check on them they would have real bad breath. Can you imagine, they eat at least day old real dead stuff all day long and never brush, that I know of. As I continue to search for their usefulness and worthiness I conclude that there should be a national monument built for them simply because I know of no one else who would remove the road kill like they do. The theme could be, “thank God for the vultures/buzzards of this world, because without them our roadways would be covered with road kill.”

Movie Review: “The Green Zone”, could be **** for presentation, but also ** for boring, but also * for reminding us of the lies the Bush administration used to enter Iraq in the first place, or no rating because the Weapons of Mass Destruction never existed. This movie is presented like a documentary but actually is not one. It is reality-based chaos, and stars matt Damon as a credible chief warrant officer who, during the USA invasion of Baghdad in 2003 is ordered to round up Saddam Hussein’s hidden weapons of mass destruction—yes, the same WMDs that an American president hung over the heads of the Congress and the American people. When none can be found, Damon questions “bad Intel?” It only gets worse and then he questions those in authority, a non reality thing since Warrant Officers just don’t do that, but in Hollywood they do. Brendan Gleeson plays a CIA person, and Greg Kinnear plays a typical all too-powerful, arrogant U.S. intelligence people listening to the wrong advice. Rated R for violence and language.

greerman

Travel, Movie Reviews

2010-03-13T06:11:00.000-08:00

To some people traveling is a glamorous thing, to others it is just part of their professional life and then to others it is just habit forming and becomes a combination of both. To some it just plain sucks!! Since my traveling life really started back in my high school and college days as a member of the collegiate football and track team that would total over 56 years and still going. The early travel was of course by automobile, train, and buses. Airplanes were invented at the time but air travel was for the very rich and just didn't make any sense for my kind of travel. My parents were not into doing much travel so I didn't catch my bad case of having to travel from them, it just came naturally. After graduating from college and then entering the US Army I found my travel became even greater and I knew then that packing and unpacking a bag would become part of my lifestyle. Since that time I have traveled to most of the USA states(48 to be exact) and 20 countries. Most of this was done while competing in some kind of athletics or in my profession, but very little for just outright vacation fun. It seems as though I try to make my business travel into some kind of fun travel and just forget about vacations. This past weekend I traveled to Florida for no business purpose and my sole reason for going was to see two of my old time friends and even see one of them re-marry, so I guess that was a pleasure weekend. When I started by sales career way back in 1966 I was given a new automobile to travel in and since cell phones didn't exist and long distance calls were very expensive we were expected to drive anywhere in our territory to see customers rather than call them on the phone. Gasoline ranged from 15-25 cents so it was pound the pavement and no worry on fuel cost. Now after all these years everyone has a cell phone stuck in one ear or the other, gasoline is $2.65 per gallon, computers keep us informed and business travel has a whole new angle. Back in the days of travel when my kids were young I traveled every week and when arriving home one week from a sales trip my youngest daughter, about 5 at the time, looked at her mother and ask, "is he going to stay here tonight?" Traveling can also make you a little disoriented, one week when I had stayed in 3 different hotels and finally got home at the end of the week I found myself getting up in the middle of the night to go take a leak I went to the approximate same area where the rest room had been the night before. Turns out in our house this was the same area that our laundry room was in, so I reached down to pull the camode seat up and it turned out to big the clothes dryer. Luckily I woke up enough to realize I was fixing to go to take a leak in the dryer, and then worked my way back to the real rest room. Most of the time when people age they kind of taper things off and especially do not travel as much; however, my travel has increased and just during the month of February and March I will be gone 6 of the possible 8 weekends. For March I am making a 3 weekend run, and then possibly in the last weekend will remain in Ransom Canyon. Now I am in Dallas for the Rock N Roll half marathon, actually running in it and monitoring the Athletes Honey Milk booth. Then next weekend I will be competing in the first triathlon of the season in Alpine, Texas, the gateway to the Big Bend Country of Texas. My point for all this useless gibberish is that I have been behind in my blogging because of all the travel and not being able to use my lap top computer to post on. Now I have that fixed and will be blogging like crazy again. There are all kinds of new news(that is why it is called news) coming to past, i.e. Tiger will go back to playing golf and limit his playing around to his wife, there is no football on TV, former Texas Tech coach Mike Leech(sp on purpose) will get his settlement from Tech and probably receive much more than he deserves, Athletes Honey Milk will become the most popular drink on the planet, and I will be traveling to many more points of interest in the next 9 months of 2010.

Movie Reviews: "Cop Out", **, Bruce Willis should be ashamed of himself for this boring, stupid movie. He is just passing the time of day and collecting his big bucks in the poorly done movie. He and Tracy Morgan play veteran New York(always New York cops, never do they do a show about cops from Lubbock) cops on the trail of a stolen, rare, mint condition baseball card, and wind up facing a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster. Actually Willis owns the card and is going to use it to pay for his daughters wedding($48,000.00), so this story is so stupid it stinks to high heaven. Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violence and brief sexuality.

"Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief", **, The gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters walk off the pages of high school student Percy Jackson's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And they are not happy campers. Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect. Percy adapts to demi-God status: his father is Poseidon. Lots of action to find the lightning thief and I can't believe I watched the whole thing. Rated PG for action violence and peril, some scary images and suggestive material, and mild language.

Academy Awards: Last week while in Florida I actually watched the Academy Awards ceremony that seems to last for hours and hours, well actually it does do that. This year there were no real surprises and I was real pleased with the results and thought they were right on. Crazy Heart was a big favorite of mine and Jeff Bridges won the best actor for his performance. Avatar won the best picture and that was probably a good pick. Even though I didn't mention them on this blog site I agreed with most of them, even though there was a couple of movies I didn't get to see since they didn't come to Lubbock. The Hurt Locker was a big winner and if it came to Lubbock, it came and went while I was traveling, so I must find it some where since it was a big winner.

greerman

Christians???? Movie Review

2010-02-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

Christian congregations always amaze me in the way they profess to love one another, love God and Jesus even, but then go contrary to what the good book teaches in their relations with each other. To illustrate my point there are a couple of things that come to mind. In the 6,000 population town that I was raised in the Church of Christ congregations got mad at each other every few years and then split and formed a new church. The last count I had they had created 7 Church of Christ congregations in this small town. Seemed strange to me since I was raised in the Presbyterian Church and we never split, guess we must have taken the teaching in the Bible a little more serious. But I always wondered what the deal was here and why they just can’t get along. But from a business stand point I also noted that this created jobs for 6 more ministers, choir directors, business managers, and required building another building, furnishing it, and buying all the hymnals for the choir and congregation Guess that is not all bad!! Yesterday I came in from my bicycle ride and as I entered the main entrance to Ransom Canyon I noticed that the new chapel was being completed for another Christian congregation for Ransom Canyon (population 1,000), Now I know the full story on why it was created so I know it is not because of growth in the original chapel but simply because they got mad at each other and it basically divided in half and they had to have a place to meet, so they built a new chapel. It is also built on a location that it is the first or second thing you notice when turning in to the main road. That had to be done to spite the original chapel since it is located within the population of the town. I also noticed where the building is built like a gasoline service station and I wondered if they were going to sell Chevron or Shell gasoline in the drive up over hang. Then I noticed that they had added a cross to the front of the build so this must sanctify the building into some kind of official worship service. It really seems so stupid to me since they are Christians, and the Bible is the bible and it doesn’t call for anything like this. I am sure that God sits up there somewhere and really enjoys watching all of this ridiculous hypocrisy. When they first divided I went to one of their meetings and walked away shaking my heads wondering how grown adults could call themselves Christians with all of the name calling and negative conversation that was going on. Instead of joining either of the dividing factions I chose to stay home on Sunday morning and enjoy a good run, or even do a blog article on the subject. While I realize we must have things to disagree over and even fight over it seems to me that this is not what God intended. But who really knows until we meet the maker in a more formal atmosphere, i.e. we all hope in that place called heaven.

Movie Review: “Shutter Island”, *, this movie had great acting in it but it was probably one of the most mind twisting, depressing movies I have even seen. I gave it a one star for the acting and Leonardo DiCaprio will probably be nominated for his acting. The setting for the story was in an institute for the extremely hard core criminally insane, the worst of the worst type of criminal. The story was hard to follow and was as gruesome as you can imagine. It all revolved around the search and investigation of one of the inmates who had brutally killed her three children, but as the story unfolds you will find that this is not really the story at all. It twists around like a pretzel and finally has a conclusion nearly 2 hours later. Supporting roles by Ben Kingsley, and Mark Ruffalo are excellent but still not worth the mental misery we are subjected to. We also had to sit on the 3rd row and I think it hit harder that close in. Bottom line, if you go after reading all of this you are one sick puppy! Rated R for disturbing violent content (understatement), language and some nudity (I missed that)!!

greerman

To Ramble, Movie Reviews

2010-02-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

Since it has been nearly a month without posting on this site I am going to blame it on just being real busy; however, I could just say that I didn’t have anything to say or maybe had some writer block. Nothing could be further from the truth since I always have something to say. But the kicker is I want to say something that is close to being worthwhile so maybe I was just hanging in there for that light bulb of worthy subjects to happen. The fact is I have been traveling a lot and the computer I took with me just didn’t do the job for me. Now I am back from a very successful business trip to Colorado and now I am ready to write. My meetings in Colorado Springs included the USA Triathlon annual race director’s conference and it was very good. I was voted the oldest race director at the conference and probably the world since people my age have a different life than what I do. They spend time with their grand kids, work in the garden, play checkers or go to the senior clubs to compare the latest surgeries, etc. While I am not criticizing this activity at all it is just not what I want to do in life. So it is fun to go into a meeting at least 20 years older than most, but the cool thing is that there is always something to talk about, yep, my age. Since I have no intention of “retiring” or “quitting” I guess my unique topic of discuss will continue to be my age. From what I have gathered most people will retire and these people that are now 20 years younger than me will be retiring right before my eyes and then I will be dealing with people who are 40 years younger than me. Now I am having to work my way through this technological society who sit around and twitter their face book till their fingers are numb then they consult their e-mails and do that irritating texting and then lo and behold they might actually carry on a conversation at some point. In another 40 years I suppose we will just walk in a room to talk and we will have some kind of computer on our chest that you just touch for communication, so then we will not have to make any effort. Since I just completed my annual physical and my doctor declared me a freak of nature (the only surgery I have ever had was my tonsils out at age 8) and he would gladly trade the blood tests results for his. Excuse me doc but I am not in the trading mood, especially for my blood test results. He declared me very fit and said my ekg showed that my heart was doing the same thing it did last year during the test; it was beating at a reasonable rate and was healthy. Glad to hear that since I swim, bike, run, ride my motorcycle, and bowl. Please take your annual physical as soon as possible. The good news if you have nothing wrong, you will know it and feel good about it, but if you have something wrong you can catch it early and then do something about it. My simple solutions for staying healthy are not just exercising, since you must also exercise the brain and eat the right kind of food, no matter what. One of the things that I did a lot of during this nearly one month of not writing is go to the most current movies, so now I must get to the movie reviews. A record number, of seven will be reviewed.

Movie Reviews: “Tooth Fairy”, ***, actually a cute movie but really for those aged kids that still believe in the tooth fairy. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has the title role, introduced as a minor league hockey player who discourages a youngster and is sentenced to one week’s hard labor as the real Tooth Fairy. Kind of stupid really but again the kids will really enjoy it. It is still playing in Lubbock so that means people are going to see it. Rated PG for mild language, some rude humor and sports action.

“Crazy Heart”, *****, This is a real good one starring Jeff Bridges as richly comic, semi-tragic, romantic anti-hero country and western singer Bad Blake. He has had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks too many times. He finally reaches for salvation after a near disaster with the help from Jean played by Maggie Gyllenhall, a journalist who discovers the man behind the musician. Bridges has been nominated for best actor; he deserves to win in my opinion. Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

“The Lovely Bones”, **, For once I agree with the local critic on this one. Kind of a weird story where a teen age girl is murdered and then looks down on her family from heaven. Some of the scenes are repetitive, long and boring. Not even good acting makes this worth the high priced ticket. Good popcorn didn’t save it either. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language.

“The Edge of Darkness”, ****, This is a very good movie with lots of brutality and stars Mel Gibson as a veteran Boston police detective, whose adult daughter dies from a shotgun blast on his front porch. Convinced that he was not the target, Gibson delivers a character fueled by his own grief to find out the real story and why this happened. He is perfect for the part and does a great job of acting. The ending is worth waiting for since it is a 2 hours long. Rated R for strong bloody violence, language (to say the least).

“From Paris With Love”, ***, This movie is okay but I wouldn’t spend prime time bucks on it. It is a story of a low-ranking intelligence officer, working in the office of the U.S. ambassador in France. To spice the movie up he is assigned with a partner that is a wisecracking, rule breaking, fast-shooting, high-ranking American agent played by John Travolta. Sometimes the movie script is overwhelmed by the Travolta dominance of the scenes. Go see on bargain ticket. Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, drug content, pervasive language and brief sexuality.

“When In Rome”, ***, Kristen Bell stars as an ambitious New Yorker who, disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome, where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a foolish fountain of love. She inexplicably ignites the passion of an odd group of suitors: a sausage magnate, a street magician, an adoring painter, and a self-admiring model. Makes for a cute story and Kristen is very easy on the eyes. Go see during prime time just to see her!! Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content.

“The Wolfman”, ***, Funny how there are movies galore about vampires, then it goes to werewolves. The acting is beyond reproach with Benicio Del Toro, Gwen Conlifffe, and Anthony Hopkins. Of course the story is about the monster that is killing everyone in grand bloody style, and then passing on the bad blood that makes this killing a requirement to wear the hairy armor of a werewolf. A remake of the original classic and very well done. Rated R for bloody horror, violence and gore.

greerman

Leecher, Butts & Guts II, Movie Reviews

2010-01-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that ex Texas Tech Red Raider football coach Mike Leach has changed the spelling of his last name to Leech. Well after looking up the definition of leech and finding that it is defined as a worm that feeds on blood; a parasite. I wonder how that computes with the definition of a pirate who robs and steals and happens to be idolized by Ex Coach Leech. Another rumor is that Coach Leech has moved to Key West, Florida the land of warm weather, lots of sun, a beautiful ocean and lots of real happy people (you know like fun loving, gay, happy, and stuff like that). We wish him well and regret the fact that he didn’t get to be in Lubbock during our last 40 mph dust storm, he deserved that. The courts also did not shine down on him this past week in that they denied his request to get preferential treatment to have his case moved to the head of the line. Seems as though he did stuff like that all the time in Lubbock whenever he approached a line he just told them to get the hell out of the way since he was the Head Football Coach at Texas Tech. Thank God the court system was not impressed with his former stature. Their claim is that by being tied up in court he is having trouble getting a job coaching football. Well Coach, sorry to hear about that since you had a very good job making $2.7 million per year until you exercised your practice of being insubordinate (this practice actually started in year one of your employment) to those people you were employed by and then you locked some poor entitled football player up in a carpeted, air conditioned shed on campus so he could recover from his apparent head concussion. Good luck in Southern Florida but you also missed the job opening at Southern Florida, who also dismissed their coach for choking and hitting one of his players. Now fans out there in college football land don’t think for a minute that this practice just started. The real facts are it is just now coming out of the closet; they were beating up on us in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. But rather than complain and go bawling to our parents we just played a little harder and took out our frustrations on the opposing team. Good luck leecher, you will probably need it.

As an epilogue to the Butts and Guts story I failed to mention that the positive functions of the butt and gut. Well the butt was really put there by the creator for a few reasons, with the most important purpose is to sit on it. The other thing is the butt is made to fill out jeans and other apparel. If you look good in this type of apparel then it is a blessing. If you don’t then good luck! On the other hand is the big gut really good for anything? Since what most people do that have them is not good for them anyway. Okay so you can kill a six pack of beer very quickly and have lots of room for it, is that really a good thing? I think not, but who am I to really know? The other thing the big gut is for is to eat more than your fellow man. But again, is this a good thing? No I really don’t think it is but again I am just writing not judging. I have a friend that has a real big beer gut and I noticed he rubs it all the time, especially when he starts talking about drinking some beer or eating some BBQ. So, I guess there is some soothing stuff that goes on by rubbing the gut and getting it ready for consumption. Sometimes I am tempted to reach over and start rubbing that big gut myself, but the temptation leaves very quickly when I wonder why I would even think that. Good luck to all of the population out there with big butts and big guts, God loves you!!

Movie Review: “Legion”, **, really a well done movie, but in the same breath really useless and you wonder why you spent good money to see it. When God loses faith in mankind, he sends a legion of angels to bring about the Apocalypse. Now the action begins and it is really just about a bunch of blood and guts and you forget who the good guy is and who the bad guy is. The way they slaughtered each other they forgot also. We even have a re-birth of the savior by an out in the sticks diner waitress. This movie is a weird one. So many unanswered questions for the movie goer, i.e. what happened to the rest of the world as this was going on? What was the purpose of the insect attack? Go at your own risk. Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language.

“The Book of Eli”, ***, this is a good movie worth seeing but did not earn a fourth star from me. Denzel Washington plays a roaming (prophet, evangelist, preacher) good/bad guy heading West to deliver “The Book” so as to save the scorched earth and degenerate population. His methods of delivery and his own defense for his safety are very impressive and very deadly. He is a good guy defending himself in troubled times just for the purpose of heading West and delivering the “Book.” Go see, you will be intrigued. Rated R for some brutal violence and language.

greerman

Cross Dressing, Movie Reviews

2010-01-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

Recently someone ask me what motivated me to ride a motorcycle, bowl, and do triathlons which of course requires swimming, biking and running. My immediate reply is that I must be a cross dresser and like the atmosphere of the three disciplines of life. Actually motorcycle riders are a lot like triathletes in that they do three things very well, they drink beer, eat BBQ, and ride the Hogs or whatever brand of two wheel terror they can muster up. When you ride a motorcycle you have a chance to put on the black leather (sometimes brown, but 95% black), let the beard and hair grow a little longer, and look real tough. Maybe even getting a little dirt under the finger nails and a slight odor of sweat and exhaust fumes. When you bowl you wear clothing that makes it easy to throw the ball down the lane and knock over those stupid looking pins, so you are again doing three things. You attempt to knock the pins down, drink a beer, and eat Mexican food afterwards. Then there is the dress of the triathlon world. Since you swim you must have a tight fitting Speedo type swim suit, a form fitting tights tri-suit for the bike ride and then wear the same on the run. Now a days the Speedo is used for work outs and the tri-suit is used for all three disciplines during competition. Then of course there is the customary carbo loading meals and low calorie beer. So, as anyone can see I am in high heaven with cross dressing. Not long ago I was being interviewed by my life coach and since she didn’t really know me very well she ask some personal questions. After these questions were answered she as if I had anything else to tell her. So, I took the opportunity to advise her that along with all of my little eccentrics I was a cross dresser. Yep, you got it, extreme silence on the other end of the phone. After what seemed like 30 minutes (really only a few long seconds) I explained my position on this subject and where I really fit. After giving her the full story she seemed to sigh with relief, but on the other hand she was from California and it is full of fruits and nuts, so what is so bad about a cross dressing West Texan? Now to wrap this all up and to explain what motivated me to write about this awesome subject I just got an ad on my e-mail from Victoria Secrets, Viagra, and Boy Toys. Of course I looked through the offerings in VC, enjoyed the many joys I was told I can get as a result of using the Boy Toys, after gulping down a Viagra pill and my day was complete. Please excuse me while I venture into the 900 number world to further enjoy my new purchases.

Movie Review: “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus”, ***, the last movie that Heath Ledger made before his death. Actually he died during the making of the film and was replaced by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell (interesting combination but effective). This is really a far out movie about a character named Dr. Parnassus played by Christopher Plummer who possesses the extraordinary gift of being able to guide the imaginations of others. The movie has a magic mirror, and a quaint devil played by Tom Waits. One final bet with the devil finds friends and foes passing through the imaginarium. Well done movie but I think you have to enjoy these mystery things before you will really enjoy it. Rated PG-13 for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking.

“Youth In Revolt”, ***, Michael Cera stars in a romantic comedy expected to defy traditional January cinematic doldrums. It is an irreverent story about the wild adventures of teen-aged(extremely horny, and a virgin) Nick Twisp, who meets the girl of his dreams while on a family(not a typical family) vacation, and must turn everyone’s lives upside down just to be near her. He also has an imaginary alter ego that pushes him into doing the things he has really wanted to do but was too shy to do. Rated R for some mild rude humor (also some sensual sex scenes).

greerman

Butts & Guts, New Coach

2010-01-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

The longer I live life the more I like it and the more I am amazed about what evolves, IF we keep our awareness buds flowing. Yesterday I competed in a five mile road race at the Buddy Holly Park in Lubbock. This race is called “Loop the Lake”, which is a series of small manmade lakes created from the flow of natural springs, and rain water. The main inhabitants of these lakes are the Canadian geese that fly south every year so they can have three square meals a day during the winter, and poop all over the sidewalks and wherever they please. What made this a special run of awareness was not the 15 degree weather or the competition from the other runners but simply the fact that I run so slow now I have time to really think and create new ideas for my blog. In years past when I was zooming around the lake and being competitive, I never came up with any solid thoughts simply because I was breathing too hard and experiencing the good pain of running like hell and not having to think. But yesterday I became so bored with my speed that I started becoming aware of those that were passing me and the idea came to my mind about the physiology make up of the male/ female species and bingo I had a subject for the week. To me it is ironic that the human body was created with two obvious flaws and it takes miracles to do anything about them. These obvious flaws concern the female butt and the male gut. Over the years the female butt portion of the body has gained prominent recognition and has been described in many ways, i.e. nice butt, fat butt, big butt, tight butt, cute butt, broad butt while the male butt is usually referred to as “ass.”(Could that be where the term “he is an ass hole” came from?) Actually my nick name in college was “apple ass or apples for short.” Sometimes female athletes have what is called a “nice ass” or “tight ass” (for some reason butt is not used for female athletes) and I recall two professional triathletes that had REAL nice asses/butts, or whatever term you want to use, and then some suffered from “no ass at all,” not a real common problem amongst the general population nowadays. So as I ran around around the lake and these butts were passing me I took inventory of the nice butts, the big butts, apple butts and the tight butts. It amazed me that all categories were present and they were all passing me. Well all I have to say is no shame towards me since I was gathering pertinent information for this writing. Now to give equal time to the male gut I must admit I didn’t have any big gut guys pass me because they were either ahead of me to start with or there weren’t any in the race with big guts, so they never had to make that move. But in reality I didn’t see many big gut guys there so I would have to rely on my bowling friends for the big guts to enhance this story. Most long distance runners do not have big guts, but bowlers seem to carry that distinction with pride. So we have the beer gut, big gut, fat gut, gross gut, flat gut or maybe six pack gut, but regardless of what you call it the gut of the male sometimes becomes very obnoxious. What I have found is that with aging the gut tends to move around a little and reposition itself. Since I have always had love handles they have been part of my love/hate for that part of my body for a long time. Now I find that these two dudes have moved a little bit to the front of my gut and I really do not like that. Fact is I have never been in love with my love handles and I have never figured out how to rid myself of them. Someone once told me that they are actually muscles so I should be proud of them. While I am not convinced that they are muscles I will continue to keep working them and see what happens. In conclusion to these two deep subjects I find that the female butt can be very attractive, and aside from the upper assets, called the boobs, it is one of the most noticeable features of the female anatomy. On the same token the male gut if properly maintained and groomed can also be attractive; however, if it becomes the large, round, over the belt fat gut then it is not attractive at all. Professional triathletes very seldom have large guts; however, I have notice that the professional football players who play in the line do have guts. So let’s give credit where credit is due and say that there is room in the world for all size butts and guts, and everyone has their preferences so we can all be happy. Enjoy the view the next time you are out somewhere where these two features of the human anatomy are in blossom.

Thank God Texas Tech has hired their new coach and the rest of us can go on with our lives. After the untimely firing of the city’s favorite pirate (disguised as a $2.7 million a year football coach Mike Leach) the administration hired Coach Tommy Tuberville from Auburn, AL. This probably didn’t get him the job but his initials are TT, duh, the same as Texas Tech. His mother was probably thinking of this 55 years ago when she named him I am sure. Regardless he has great credentials and should be very good for Lubbock and Texas Tech. The other favorite on the existing staff was Coach Ruffin McNeill and an un-official poll of the players indicated that 90% wanted him as their next head coach. The final decision tells you that the administration did not make their decision based on the player’s vote which also illustrates that the inmates can’t be in charge of the prison. While no firing is pleasant the firing of Leach turned into a blood bath, and will finally be settled in court at great expenses. Everything that I have read on the subject, and information I have received from insiders, indicate Leach deserved the firing. Of course he has been guilty of insubordination since he arrived 10 years ago so I wouldn’t call this firing that sudden. The problem should have been solved when he arrived as opposed to 10 years after he had been here. Of course the diehard Leach fans have organized a Team Leach group now numbering 60,000 on Twitter and other electronic magic, etc. They wanted him re-hired (wasn’t going to happen in a heartbeat). Funny thing is there were quotes of fans from around town in various bars & grills and the interviewer said that as the day wore on the responses were less violent and mellower. Duh, you interview people who are sitting at a bar drinking and you think that their responses will not mellow a little bit. That is why they are drinking, to drown the sordid details of the day and forget about who gets the next millions to coach a football team. Hear me Raider Nation/Team Leach, everything that has been made public indicates that the mighty pirate deserved to be stripped of his sword, had his good eye poked out, sent to the end of the plank, had all of his stolen treasures taken away, then fired. Besides he was only a mediocre coach and the highest paid 8 wins a year coach that I know of. He never won a Conference division title, he never won a Conference title, he never won a National Championship, and even in his best year he didn’t win either of the above, lost the last game of the regular season and also lost the Cotton Bowl game. So let it rest and get behind the new coach. Of course fans are so fickle all the new dude has to do is put a few wins on the board and they will be saying, “Leach who?”

greerman

Ironic Bowl, Movie Reviews

2010-01-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Drama, drama and more drama. Okay so the football team of the mighty Texas Tech Red Raiders, of the Big 12, and the once double mighty Michigan State Spartans of the Big 10 meet in the annual Alamo Bowl in San Antonio tonight! What is the big deal and why the drama? Well to start with the football team of the Spartans decided a few weeks ago to have a gang fight with one of the fraternities on the Michigan State campus. For some reason the administration of MSU decided this was not in the best interest of the football program and so they dismissed 14 of their players. So, that created a lot of drama for MSU and most of the pre-press was about these appalling acts and how it was going to affect the game. Needless to say the Red Raiders were licking their chops and looking forward to blowing them past River Walk, on past the Alamo and out of this historic city that prides themselves in reminding us of “remember the Alamo and we kick butt if you don’t.” Then the impossible happened and the Texas Tech Red Raiders showed the mighty Spartans that they could “one up” them on the drama scene and placed their head coach, Mike Leach, on suspension from coaching the game and then a few days later adding more salt to this oozing sore, fired him with cause. The cause being he mistreated one of their high profile prima dona players who just happened to have a prima dona father who just happens to be on ESPN as a color commentator for college football. Since all of this has been presented in the news for the past week I will not go into all of the details and I would encourage my readers to consult LubbockOnline.com for all of the gory details. What I will do is offer some of my opinions on the subject, then move on to the movie reviews. My first point will be directed to those Red Raider fans who think Mike Leach is an offensive genius and the Tech program will never go on without him. Coach Leach is very much a smart, strong minded, hard headed, eccentric that did put together a productive offensive team, but never produced a conference championship, only finished in the top 10 one year, and never won a conference Championship or National Championship. While his offense was productive, to say the least, his overall team efforts(called defense, running attack, blocking, punting, kicking, reduced penalties, being disciplined or summed up with one word “balanced” just wasn’t there) which enables a team to win it “all” never materialized in his 10 years. My opinion is also motivated by the fact that he was being paid $2.7 million per year plus some nice bonus money. For that kind of money I feel we can ask for a lot or even demand it. My second point is that even though Mike Leach is the winningest coach in school history his overall record is only mediocre with an average of 8 wins per season. His best year was in 2008 and it did not produce a Championship of any kind and they even put the icing on the cake by losing in the Cotton Bowl. Their last game of the regular season, they still had the chance of winning the Big 12 but showed up in presence only and looked like a Pop Warner team that was just issued their uniforms the day before the game. They played so bad they created another definition of “stink.” My other point on this “mediocrity” thing is that the diehard fans have accepted this and make excuses for why their record is not better, i.e. if they had only scored more points again Houston they would have won 9 games, and these kind of stupid statements. Of course if they had scored more points than all of their opponents in 2009 they would be undefeated right now. Of course they wouldn’t have their coach because his firing had nothing to do with on the field performance or results. My third point is that Leach was a guy that demanded that his players have unquestioned discipline but he was not a good example of this attribute himself. Now, here are some things the fans are going to miss about him. He did put a very exciting productive offensive football team on the field of play. He was a very eccentric coach (he did not play in college, one in only a handful of coaches that didn’t; he was actually a rugby player). His program did have a very high graduation rate and that is a very good thing. He guaranteed the fans that he could produce 8 wins per year season, and a bowl bid out of 35 bowl games(wow wee what a feat!) While his heroes are pirates that will now become a dead issue in Lubbock and the retail stores will probably get stuck with some flags, boots, and pirate attire we normally didn’t have around until Leach brought his pirate ship to town via Buffalo Springs Lake. We will also miss his dull, dry interviews and his ability to say something that really didn’t make much sense, i.e. “the players feel like they are heroes because their fat little girlfriends tell them they are.” While this got a lot of press I really didn’t get it. First of all the football players don’t generally have fat little girl friends, and second of all this was a very offensive statement to “the fat little girlfriends of the basketball team, or maybe the track team, but not the almighty football players.” Now that I have vented my opinions I will say that Coach Leach was invited to ride his new Cannondale bike out in the canyons with a few of our triathlete friends; however, he never made it. Guess he couldn’t read the map!! His loss!!! Regardless, Texas Tech football will continue to play the game, and coach Leach will continue to coach football somewhere in the universe. He will sue the university big time; get a larger settlement than his salary since it appears that the administration made some bad legal moves in their suspension and firing play calling. Imagine Tech has a law school, a Chancellor that was a very successful practicing lawyer and a full team of lawyers employed by Tech, and they make what appears to be some major blunders!!! Oh well it is not the end of the world folks, it is just “As the Football Turns” in the Hub City of the South Plains of Texas.

Movie Reviews: “Nine,” ****, this is probably a five star movie but I don’t really know how to rate musicals, but this is good one. It got my attention because of Daniel Day Lewis, plus I went to the Michael Jackson thing and had a better appreciation for music. The movie centers on film director Guido Contini (played by Daniel Day-Lewis-one of the great film actors of the day in my opinion) as he reaches a personal crisis of epic proportions. He must balance his numerous women in his life, including his wife(Marion Cotillard), his mistress(Penelope Cruz), his film star muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidant and costume designer(Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist(Kate Hudson) the whore from his youth(Fergie) and of course his mother (Sophia Loren). What a mouthful that can only equal a lot of tension, no wonder the guy was having trouble balancing his life. This film will be nominated for an Oscar for sure. Rated R for sexual content and smoking.

“It’s Complicated,” ****, an entertaining movie about love and divorce, co-starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Jane (played by Streep) is the mother of three grown children, and finds herself drifting into a sexual affair with her ex-husband, remarried Jake (Baldwin) after a decade of divorce. Caught in the middle is a likeable divorced architect played by Martin, who has fallen for Jane, but discovers he’s become a part of a love triangle. Some very humorous scenes and fun to watch. Rated R for some drug content and sexuality.

“Avatar,” *****, this is a five star rated movie with lots of special effects. Obviously it is a sci-fi movie set on a moon called Pandora. This moon has a mineral that is essential for the survival of earth, so the military earthlings and some insensitive scientists are there to harvest this stuff regardless of the local 10 foot tall, blue humanoids call the Navi. Of course the battle begins between the intruders and the locals who are the nice good guys and gals. While we have the overbearing earth intruder military types (throw in a marine or two), the one military hero who is trying to earn his legs back (literally) and the scientists. Of course there is a love story, and a real villain. Go see, but be prepared for a long one, 2 hrs and 40 minutes. Also, it is offered in 2D and 3D (I would recommend this even though it is $3.00 higher). The only real recognizable actress is Sigourney Weaver, not a stranger to sci-fi and tough battles with the villains. Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

greerman